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The 7 top antarctica cruises for 2024 + tips from an expert.

Plan your next epic adventure to the White Continent.

The Top Antarctica Cruises

Yuri Matisse Choufour | Courtesy of Hurtigruten Expeditions

Experience otherworldly beauty on an Antarctica cruise.

An expedition to Antarctica is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure for intrepid travelers who want to explore this remote destination at the bottom of the world. The landscapes are surreal, with eerily blue icebergs, towering ice-capped mountains, dramatic weather conditions that change within seconds and species of wildlife that exist nowhere else on Earth – it's hard to imagine until you've made the long journey yourself.

The fifth-largest continent is home to the largest ice sheet on the planet, the Antarctic Ice Sheet, as well as the Transantarctic Mountains, with peaks soaring more than 14,700 feet into the sky. West Antarctica has volcanoes that are part of a tectonically active area around the Pacific Ocean known as the "Ring of Fire." This incredibly diverse and magical part of the world also has the coldest temperature ever recorded at -135.8 degrees Fahrenheit in 2010.

U.S. News has compiled a selection of seven different Antarctic experiences to help you plan your bucket list adventure to the White Continent.

Book an Antarctica cruise on GoToSea , a service of U.S. News.

Atlas Ocean Voyages: 11-night Ushuaia Roundtrip

Courtesy of Atlas Ocean Voyages

This 11-night expedition with Atlas is available on several dates in 2024. One highlight of the voyage is crossing the Antarctic Circle, along with four days exploring Antarctica and two days spent in the South Shetland Islands. You'll also have two days en route to Antarctica and two days on the return trip on the famed Drake Passage – also known as the "Drake Lake" (on smooth days) or the "Drake Shake" (when the seas are rough).

During your days at sea, take in all the onboard lectures and films about Antarctica, and head outside on the decks to see petrels and albatrosses soaring overhead. This is the perfect opportunity to practice your photography skills before reaching the Antarctic Peninsula, where you want to take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints.

Atlas' Jan. 14 expedition is on the line's newest ship, World Voyager. The purpose-built yacht-style vessel features a hydro-jet propulsion system that's quieter and less disruptive to the fragile ecosystem. This feature also provides the opportunity for guests to see more wildlife during up-close encounters. Pricing is all-inclusive on board the ship with free open bars; all meals, wines, spirits and craft beers; a stocked in-room minibar; all landings, Zodiac excursions and lectures; the use of kayaks, walking sticks, knee boots and binoculars; and a souvenir Atlas jacket to take home. Fares also include a one-night pre-cruise stay and private charter jet service round-trip from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia, Argentina.

Aurora Expeditions: Antarctic Peninsula in Depth

Tyson Mayr | Courtesy of Aurora Expeditions

Aurora offers a 14-night Antarctic intensive voyage sailing round-trip from Ushuaia on Nov. 6, 2024, aboard the 132-passenger purpose-built expedition ship Greg Mortimer. This vessel was the first passenger ship to utilize the state-of-the-art Ulstein X-BOW, which provides a smoother, quicker and more efficient transit across the ocean. The ship also incorporates many environmentally conscious features, including low energy consumption and virtual anchoring, which protects the sea floor and minimizes damage caused by traditional anchors.

Guests will find expansive observation decks and hydraulic viewing platforms for optimal wildlife viewing on board. Other highlights of the expedition are nine full days to explore the Antarctic Peninsula in nearly 24 hours of daylight at the peak of summer. During this time, you can expect to see whales arriving to feed on the plentiful krill, fur seal pups and many entertaining penguins.

Prices are mostly all-inclusive, with a one-night hotel stay before boarding the ship; all meals, snacks and complimentary nonalcoholic beverages; beer and house wine at lunch and dinner; the use of Muck Boots for the expedition; all shore excursions and Zodiac cruises; educational lectures; and more. Adventurous explorers can add on activities (at an additional cost) such as sea kayaking, snowshoeing, camping, and skiing or snowboarding. The line also offers longer 20- to 24-day expeditions that include South Georgia Island.

Read: Sustainable Cruises: The Top Lines Making Progress

Hurtigruten Expeditions: Antarctica, Patagonia and Chilean Fjords Expedition

Dan Avila | Courtesy of Hurtigruten Expeditions

For an extended adventure that includes crossing the Drake Passage twice, spending up to five days in Antarctica and then landing on Cape Horn in Chile (weather permitting), consider the 25-night grand expedition cruise aboard the Hutrigruten Expeditions' MS Roald Amundsen. Additional highlights are scenic cruising in Garibaldi Fjord in Alberto de Agostini National Park to see the Garibaldi Glacier; visiting the town of Puerto Natales, the gateway to Torres del Paine National Park ; and seeing the longest Southern Hemisphere glacier outside of Antarctica (which grows by as much as 150 feet a day), the Pio XI Glacier in Bernado O'Higgins National Park. This epic adventure begins March 9, 2024, in Buenos Aires and ends in Valparaíso, Chile.

The ship for the voyage, MS Roald Amundsen, is a hybrid vessel that reduces CO2 emissions by using electrical propulsion – and it's designed specifically for use in polar waters. The vessel carries just 500 guests (to adhere to regulations for visiting Antarctica) and features all exterior cabins with Scandinavian inspired decor. Guests will also find an Explorer lounge and bar, three dining venues, the Science Center, a sauna and spa, and other amenities. Fares are mostly all-inclusive, covering a complimentary expedition jacket; the use of expedition equipment like boots and trekking poles; landing activities; most dining options; and wine, beer and soft drinks at meals.

Lindblad Expeditions – National Geographic: Journey to Antarctica: The White Continent

Ralph Lee Hopkins | Courtesy of Lindblad Expeditions

Lindblad Expeditions was the first company to bring citizen explorers to Antarctica in 1966, pioneering travel to this remote destination. The line's 13-night expedition to Antarctica is offered nearly 20 times throughout the summer season in 2024 on one of three ships. Depending on the ship, guests will have one evening in either Buenos Aires or Santiago, Chile , before flying to Ushuaia the next morning to embark the vessel.

With about five days to explore Antarctica, you'll have time to take in the awe-inspiring landscapes and look for seals and blue-eyed shags up close from Zodiacs. On land, watch thousands of Adélie and gentoo penguins as they playfully slide down the snow-covered hills on their bellies – one right after the other – diving headfirst into the icy waters. After the adventure, a private charter flight will return you to either Buenos Aires or Santiago before your return flight home.

The line's newest expedition vessel, National Geographic Resolution, accommodates just 138 guests – and there are two new cabins for solo cruisers . Guests on the Polar Class 5 vessel will have a National Geographic photographer and a Lindblad-National Geographic-certified photo instructor and video chronicler documenting the trip. Onboard amenities include a yoga studio, a wellness specialist, infinity-style hot tubs, two restaurants and a chef's table, and plenty of indoor and outdoor viewing areas. This ship also carries an ROV (a remotely operated vehicle) for underwater exploration and other high-tech video gear.

You can even book an overnight stay in an igloo (on a first-come, first-served basis) and spend the evening under the polar sky. Fares are mostly all-inclusive and include all onboard meals and most meals ashore; nonalcoholic and alcoholic beverages; transfers; excursions; a complimentary jacket; and more.

Silversea: King George Island to King George Island (Antarctica Bridge)

Courtesy of Silversea

Silversea's six-night Antarctica Bridge expedition takes guests round-trip by a business class flight directly to the Antarctica Peninsula, flying into King George Island from Punta Arenas, Chile. This itinerary is offered several times throughout the season for guests who don't have extensive time to travel – or are nervous about sailing the Drake Passage. Silversea 's pricing is all-inclusive, and guests can choose between door-to-door or port-to-port fares.

While the weather determines the specific itinerary in Antarctica, guests can expect to have several excursions in the Antarctic Sound and as many as nine excursions on the Antarctic Peninsula that include hiking, kayaking and scenic Zodiac cruises with the expedition team. There's also one excursion in the South Shetland Islands, where you can look for massive elephant seals. There will be an abundance of bird and animal viewing on wildlife-rich King George Island, the largest of the South Shetland Islands, which is home to Adélie, chinstrap and gentoo penguins as well as Weddell and leopard seals.

Oceanwide Expeditions and Swoop Antarctica: Quest for the Emperor Penguins of Snow Hill Island

Getty Images

Swoop Antarctica's 10-night adventure-filled journey takes wildlife and history enthusiasts into the ice-choked waters of the Weddell Sea, past towering tabular icebergs, in search of the emperor penguin's rookery on Snow Hill: one of the most remote penguin rookeries on the planet. The incredible itinerary also sails through the same waters where famed Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton's ship, the Endurance, sank in 1915 – and to the rarely seen west slopes of the Antarctic Sound.

Other highlights include Zodiac and helicopter landings (weather permitting) to additional remote locales, including Seymour Island, where the Swedish Antarctic Expedition of 1901 to 1904 spent a winter season; Brown Bluff, one of the most scenic places on the northern tip of the Antarctic Continent and home to a large Adélie penguin rookery; and the volcanic crater of Deception Island.

There are two sailings in November 2024 on board the 1A-class, ice-strengthened Oceanwide Expeditions' Ortelius: a 108-passenger former Russian research vessel. Fares includes all meals and nonalcoholic beverages, all Zodiac and shore excursions, educational lectures, helicopter transfers, and group transfers. Optional adventure activities, alcoholic beverages and other personal expenses are at an additional cost.

The onboard helicopter pad is one of the features of the vessel and is used on select expeditions in the Weddell and Ross seas. It's important to note that very few companies offer expeditions to the Weddell Sea that include Snow Hill Island. While Ortelius is not a luxury vessel like other ships mentioned in this list, it is a stable expedition-style ship built for these icy – and at times treacherous – waters and weather conditions.

Viking: Antarctica & South Georgia Island

Courtesy of Viking

Viking's 18-night Antarctica and South Georgia Island expedition begins with an overnight stay in Buenos Aires followed by a flight the next morning to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. The first two stops on the expedition are in the Falkland Islands, where you'll find beautiful scenery with imposing cliffs, many types of marine birds and five species of penguins. In South Georgia, watch for king penguins and seals. Then, it's on to Antarctica for days 12 through 16. Guests will have the option to reserve a spot on the Viking DNV-classed submarine for a thrilling journey into the depths of the frigid waters in Antarctica. The return sailing, by way of the Drake Passage, disembarks in Ushuaia.

In 2024, this itinerary is available Jan. 31 and again Dec. 15 on Viking Octantis. The purpose-built Polar Class 6 vessel accommodates up to 378 guests and offers many of the same venues found on Viking's ocean ships, including the Explorers' Lounge, World Café, Mamsen's, Manfredi's Italian Restaurant and the Nordic Spa. There are also expedition-specific features, such as Expedition Central, the Science Lab and – for educational lectures and briefings – the Aula theater. Viking's fares are mostly all-inclusive, with all meals and wine and beer served with lunch and dinner; 24-hour specialty teas, coffees and nonalcoholic beverages; a keepsake Viking jacket; complimentary use of the excursion gear; and more.

Find an Antarctica cruise on GoToSea.

Tips on Trips and Expert Picks

Travel tips, vacation ideas and more to make your next vacation stellar.

Expert tips on Antarctica expeditions

There are many factors to consider when planning an Antarctica expedition, including where you want to travel to, the length of the trip and whether you want to sail the famed Drake Passage twice.

To provide helpful insights and information to plan your trip, U.S. News reached out to an expert in the region, Aurora Expeditions' expedition leader, Ashley Perrin , for tips on planning your adventure to the White Continent. Perrin has degrees in both geography and oceanography from the University of Southampton. She was appointed as the first woman boating officer in Antarctica by the British Antarctic Survey in 2009, and has led multiple expeditions to Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falklands.

Which month is best (in your opinion) to travel to Antarctica and why? 

Perrin: "My favorite time to travel to Antarctica is the end of December or beginning of January, because the penguin chicks are starting to come out and you get the most wildlife spotting opportunities, with marine mammals, penguins and albatross – on top of the spectacular scenery."

What length of trip do you recommend for first-time visitors?

Perrin: "The 10- to 12-day Spirit of Antarctica or Antarctic Explorer (with Aurora Expeditions) is a fantastic introduction to the Antarctic Peninsula. If you had the additional time and opportunity, ideally you would also opt for a voyage that visits South Georgia. For many travelers, this is really the jewel in the crown of the Antarctic experience because of the incredible wildlife opportunities here."

What should you look for in an expedition ship/tour when planning a trip to Antarctica?

Perrin: "Travelers should look for a high-quality educational experience, including lectures and opportunities for Citizen Science. This is such a fascinating and important destination, and you want to ensure you can learn and take as much in as you can. A pivotal factor in this is also choosing a company that offers low passenger numbers.

"Travelers don't have enough of an understanding of the impact of this on their voyage. In the Antarctic Peninsula only 100 people are allowed on land at one time, while at some sites it is 30 to 50 people. Having smaller groups enables passengers to have more time off ship exploring and connecting with nature, and this has such a significant impact on your experience.

"If you like to be a little more active, I would also highly recommend an operator that offers activities, such as kayaking in Antarctica. This allows you to see Antarctica from a different viewpoint and the silence is amazing. You still have opportunities to do landings as well, so I think it's the best of both worlds."

Do you prefer the combination fly/sail for the Drake Passage or sailing the Drake Passage both ways?

Perrin: "I prefer to sail both ways as it's how you earn your right to get to Antarctica! You also get more opportunities to see wildlife like seabirds, and it gives you extra time to prepare for the Antarctic experience through pre-lectures and education. Travelers arrive with more of an understanding of what to expect."

Any other tips, advice or comments you'd like to share?

Perrin: "Do your research into the operator you are choosing and their different offerings – things like passenger numbers, expedition team experience and off ship activities – as these can all have a significant impact on the travel experience. There is also a big difference between traditional cruise operators and expedition operators and what travelers can expect. We ensure that our passengers are exploring and getting off the ship as much as possible.

"I would also add that it's important to do your research into the areas that you're most interested in. For example, it could be history, exploration and walking in someone's footsteps (such as Sir Ernest Shackleton), or the types of wildlife you might see. Having a deeper understanding of the history and the region really does enhance the experience once you are there."

Frequently Asked Questions

An expedition where you get off the ship and make landings on the Antarctic peninsula typically costs about $10,000 per person for a 10-night voyage. However, depending on the cruise line, the ship and dates of travel – and whether you sail or fly the Drake Passage – you could spend as much as $29,000 per person for a 12-night expedition or more. There are slightly lower prices for some expeditions, such as a few with Hurtigruten Expeditions, and you can find reduced fares and deals with lines like Atlas Ocean Voyages and Quark Expeditions. In addition, there are extended polar expeditions that range from a 14-night trip to the 94-night Pole-to-Pole Ultimate Bucket List Expedition Cruise with Hurtigruten Expeditions, which is priced at close to $48,000.

If you're not interested in getting off the ship in Antarctica to see penguins and seals up close (but no closer than 15 feet, according to the Antarctic Treaty), you can opt for a voyage on a large cruise ship that sails around the continent for a much lower cost. Just know that you won't be able to disembark at any point in Antarctica. For example, Norwegian Cruise Line has a 14-night Antarctica and South America voyage that makes a round trip from Buenos Aires, Argentina, for as low as $999 per person. You may be able to find even cheaper fares from lines such as Celebrity Cruises or Princess Cruises.

It's important to note that by the rules set forth in the Antarctic Treaty, only ships carrying 500 or less passengers are permitted to make landings on the Antarctica peninsula. The Antarctic Treaty, along with the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, has strict conservation protocols and regulates that no more than 100 passengers are allowed to go ashore at one time. The IAATO works with more than 100 Antarctica outfitters to create the guidelines and safety procedures to protect the fragile environment and wildlife in this remote part of the world.

The following cruise lines offer small ship expeditions in Antarctica with no more than 500 passengers. You can also look at tour companies – such as Abercrombie & Kent, G Adventures, Adventure Life and Swoop Antarctica – that exclusively charter ships or help navigate the decision-making process for their clients and book individual expeditions with the cruise lines.

• Atlas Ocean Voyages
• Aurora Expeditions
• Hapag-Lloyd Cruises
• Hurtigruten Expeditions
• Lindblad Expeditions – National Geographic
• Quark Expeditions
• Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours
• Seabourn Cruise Line

These larger cruise lines offer sailings around the Antarctic Peninsula, which may include scenic cruising in and around the Gerlache Strait, Elephant Island, Paradise Bay and Schollart Channel.

• Celebrity Cruises
• Holland America Line
• Norwegian Cruise Line
• Oceania Cruises
• Princess Cruises
• Regent Seven Seas Cruises
• Royal Caribbean International

The answer depends on the expedition. The majority of passengers will depart from South America in either Ushuaia, Argentina – which is also known as the "End of the World" – or Punta Arenas, Chile. Then it will take approximately two days to cross the Drake Passage to reach the Antarctic Peninsula. Some lines also offer chartered flights from Punta Arenas to Antarctica, which only take about two hours. Some passengers who have taken the flight say it can be as unnerving as sailing the Drake Passage, since weather conditions can delay the flight for up to several days where you could potentially miss the trip.

Cruises on larger ships that only sail around the Antarctic Peninsula may embark in Buenos Aires; Santiago, Chile; Puerto Williams, Chile; Rio de Janeiro; ports in Florida or New Zealand; or even the South Shetland Islands.

The expedition and cruise season to Antarctica extends from November to March, which is during the austral summer in the Southern Hemisphere. But Antarctica is still the windiest, coldest and driest continent on Earth, so weather conditions are unpredictable and can change quickly – even during the summertime. One minute the sun may be out, and the next minute it can be snowing and extremely windy and cloudy.

Visitors in November can expect temperatures between a low of 25 degrees to a high of 32 degrees Fahrenheit. The warmest temperatures are typically in January, when you'll find days ranging between 33 to 36 degrees before they start to drop again in February.

Most expedition companies provide jackets that you can take home, so you won't need to bring a heavy parka if it's given to you on board. They may also provide waterproof boots that you'll need to use for wet landings. It's best to check with your expedition line to see what's available on the ship, what you can rent or buy, and what you'll need to pack and bring with you. Due to the unpredictable weather, it's advisable to bring different types of layers.

Here are some of the items you'll want to pack:

Layers: Pack at least two top and two bottom quick-drying base layers (or more, depending on the length of your expedition) that wick moisture, such as those made of silk, wool or bamboo. It does get toasty when you're layered up and moving around ashore, so choose lightweight options that will layer easily under the rest of your clothing and keep you warm and dry. For your mid-layer top, go with a lightweight polar fleece or vest; for the bottom, quick-drying warm tights or fleece pants are a good option.

You'll also want to layer what's on your feet, starting with a wicking pair of socks made from silk or synthetic polypropylene, followed by a good pair of merino wool socks from a brand like Smartwool. Glove liners are another must, especially if your hands tend to get cold. If you can, buy insulated waterproof gloves with removable liners to save packing an extra item. You may also want to toss a few hand and foot warmers in the suitcase in case you need extra warmth. Bring a lighter pair of insulated gloves for warmer days off the ship.

And don't forget a lined wool beanie, a set of earmuffs, and a balaclava or fleece neck gaiter to keep your ears and face warm and your nose and mouth protected from the cold air and wind.

Waterproof gear: The parka and tall waterproof boots may be provided on the ship, but if they're not, you'll need to bring your own. You'll also need wind- and waterproof pants to go over your base layer and mid-layers. If they're tapered at the bottom, you should be able to tuck them into your boots. Perrin says this is one of the most important items you should purchase and pack for your expedition.

Comfy clothes ­and shoes for around the ship: Most people dress casual on Antarctica cruises, so bring clothes that will be comfortable for days and evenings around the ship. It can get rough when crossing the Drake Passage, so you'll want flat or low-heeled shoes for those days at sea.

Other items you'll want to pack:

• Waterproof dry pack
• Sea-Bands and medications for motion sickness
• Camera and accessories with a waterproof cover
• Hiking poles (unless the ship has them available)
• Swimsuit (you may want to take the polar plunge!)
• Other necessary medications
• Hydrating lip balm and a good protective moisturizer
• Polarized sunglasses
• Books on the history of early exploration in Antarctica and the incredible wildlife

Why Trust U.S. News Travel

Gwen Pratesi has been an avid cruiser since her early 20s. She has sailed on nearly every type of cruise ship built, including the newest megaships, paddle-wheelers on the Mississippi River, and an 18-stateroom river ship on the Mekong River in Vietnam and Cambodia. She has also cruised on a traditional masted sailing ship and on a small luxury expedition vessel in Antarctica crossing the notorious Drake Passage twice. Pratesi covers the travel and culinary industries for major publications including U.S. News & World Report.

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Discover an awe-inspiring place full of secrets and surprises…

What Awaits You

There’s nowhere else on Earth quite like Antarctica. You’ll find sailing through the world’s seventh continent with Swan Hellenic is a voyage like no other. Dramatic coastlines, breathtaking scenery, fascinating history, and the beautiful wildlife here combine to create once-in-a-lifetime experiences that will stay with you forever.

Welcome to Antarctica

Cruise to the White Continent and you ’ ll fall in love with this unforgettable frozen land. Whether you ’ re relaxing on board your 5-star boutique ship or  exploring   ashore , y our adventures in this special place will touch you forever. Sail through crystal clear fjords , glide past giant icebergs and glaciers , discover Antarctica ’ s rich history of explorers, whalers, and scientists , and you ’ ll feel a bond with the natural world that grows stronger every day.

Your bespoke voyage

With Swan Hellenic, no two trips to this magical destination are ever the same. You ’ ll visit amazing, remote places alongside expert guide s, and t his icy wonderland is full of surprises. Y ou never know what to expect from Antarctica ’ s wildlife, and the landscape here is ever-changing. However, one thing you can expect on your ocean odyssey with Swan Hellenic, is comfort and impeccable service

Connect with nature

Antarctica is a wonderful place to connect with the natural world. Picture yourself on your boutique expedition ship as it passes free-floating icebergs, soaring mountaintops, and giant glaciers. What will you watch out for first? Kelp gulls flying close by? Breaching humpback whales? Adélie penguins waddling on shore? Or maybe leopard seals happily snoozing on nearby ice? Antarctica is home to all sorts of spectacular wildlife, and your polar cruise will leave you feeling closer to nature than ever before.

Antarctic dreams

Exploring Antarctica is a totally unique experience. Where else will glistening, wind-carved snow surround you as you watch busy gentoo penguins in their natural habitat? Where else can you race through icy waters in a Zodiac boat, past towering glaciers and creaking icebergs? Where else can you walk around snowy islands, taking in majestic views and making discoveries with expert polar guides? Antarctica is like no place you’ve visited before, and your cruise here is sure to leave you with special memories you’ll never forget.

Antarctica Cruises

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Best Antarctica cruise ships: 11 stylish expedition vessels exploring the White Continent

There's never been a better time to travel to Antarctica -- at least when it comes to getting there in comfort and style.

The last few years have brought a stunning new crop of small "expedition" cruise vessels specifically designed for Antarctica sailings that are far more upscale and elegant than anything seen before.

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Built by longtime leaders in polar cruising such as Lindblad Expeditions and Hurtigruten Expeditions, as well as a few newcomers to the niche, these are vessels that are more spacious, more amenity-filled and more stable than Antarctica cruise ships of old -- and they're fundamentally changing the way travelers are experiencing the destination.

The best Antarctica cruise ships: Then and now

Tourists have been visiting Antarctica in small numbers since 1966, when adventure tour pioneer Lars-Eric Lindblad led a small group of "citizen scientists" to the Antarctic Peninsula on a chartered Argentine navy ship. But for many of the 56 years since then, a trip to Antarctica has meant a sailing on a relatively spartan vessel.

Like Lindblad's chartered navy ship, many of the early vessels used for tourism to the White Continent were tough-built government or scientific ships that were designed with navigating icy areas but not necessarily comfort in mind.

Related: An untamed world: Discovery the wild dreamscape of Antarctica

My first voyage to Antarctica, back in 2004, for instance, was on Akademik Ioffe -- a hardy, ice-class Russian oceanographic research vessel that was often chartered by adventure tour companies in those days for polar trips. I slept in a no-frills cabin originally designed for Russian oceanography researchers and ate with my fellow tourgoers in a cafeteria-like dining space. The crew mostly spoke Russian.

A lot has changed since then -- mostly in the last couple of years.

The new crop of vessels being built for Antarctica sailings have all the creature comforts that travelers have come to expect on cruise vessels in other parts of the world, including spacious and upscale cabins, often with balconies; elegant eateries with diverse menus; spas and fitness centers; and even pools and deck-top hot tubs.

Some of the fanciest of the newcomers also have such over-the-top amenities as helicopters for sightseeing from above and submarines for seeing what lurks just under the water. At the very high end, some ships feature all-suite accommodations with butler service.

In all cases, these are ships specifically built for "expedition cruising" -- a type of cruising that involves traveling to remote, hard-to-reach places on small, hardy vessels that carry their own landing craft. All of them sail with a large number of rigid inflatable Zodiac boats for landings and have strengthened hulls and other design features that let them operate in icy areas.

I've sailed on nearly all of these new vessels, in many cases in polar regions, and have been consistently amazed by just how much of an upgrade they really are.

Here, my picks for the 11 best new expedition cruise ships sailing to Antarctica:

National Geographic Endurance and National Geographic Resolution

Operator: Lindblad Expeditions.

These Lindblad Expeditions ships may be my favorite all-around picks for an Antarctica cruise. Sailing since July and November 2021, respectively, National Geographic Endurance and National Geographic Resolution each are designed to hold no more than 126 passengers -- a notably low number that allows for an intimate experience when exploring the White Continent.

They're also very stable ships, thanks to an unusual new sloping bow design -- something that can make a big difference when sailing to and from Antarctica across the notoriously rough Drake Passage.

Lindblad was the original pioneer of tourist trips to Antarctica, and it has years of experience in the region that has helped shape the way it designed these nearly identical vessels, both specifically built for polar travel.

Each of the ships has a polar class rating of PC 5 Category A (a notch above many Antarctica vessels), allowing them to travel through icy areas with ease. They're also loaded with observation areas for viewing the passing scenery. They carry kayaks, snowshoes and cross-country skis for polar exploring in addition to Zodiac boats for landings, and they have remotely operated vehicles -- just in case you want to see what's going on down below.

Each vessel has two glass-walled "igloos" on its top deck where passengers can spend the night under the stars. Comfortable, state-of-the-art rooms with balconies; stylish restaurants and lounges with upscale, Scandinavian-inspired decor; a spa; and a yoga studio with wall-to-wall windows round out the onboard experience.

Related: I just spent the night in an igloo in Antarctica -- here's how you can, too

The details: Fares for 11-night Antarctica cruises on the two vessels start at $16,780 per person, based on double occupancy. Fares include a pre-cruise, one-night hotel stay in Buenos Aires, Argentina, or Santiago, Chile; flights from Buenos Aires or Santiago to Ushuaia, Argentina; drinks, including spirits and wines; and prepaid gratuities.

Note that as part of a 3-year-old partnership between Hyatt and Lindblad, World of Hyatt members can pay for a Lindblad cruise using Hyatt points — or earn 5 base points per dollar on eligible spending (excluding incidentals), plus the standard bonuses for Hyatt elite members, as well as elite tier-qualifying night credits. All members — regardless of status — will enjoy a $250 onboard credit to use on incidentals.

World Navigator

Operator: Atlas Ocean Voyages.

Just unveiled in August 2021, World Navigator is the first vessel for Atlas Ocean Voyages , an all-new cruise operator that's focused on "luxe adventure" trips -- and it's already high on my list of favorite ships for polar exploring.

Like the Lindblad vessels, it's designed to carry relatively few passengers (up to 184 on Antarctica sailings) and is loaded with indoor and outdoor observation areas including an innovative, close-to-the-waterline outside deck area with heated seating called The Water's Edge. High-tech touches include a GPS that lets it hover in sensitive areas without dropping anchor.

Built tough for polar exploring (it has a PC 6 rating, one notch below the Lindblad vessels), it also is designed to be upscale with elegant, 1940s-influenced decor, such pampering touches as a L'Occitane spa (the first at sea) and butler service in the top cabins.

Related: First look at World Navigator, a stylish new adventure ship

World Navigator is the first of five nearly identical sister vessels that Atlas Ocean Voyages will roll out by late 2024, many of which will sail regularly to Antarctica.

The details: Nine-night voyages to Antarctica start at $10,499 per person, based on double occupancy. Fares include drinks, including spirits and fine wines; shipboard Wi-Fi; prepaid gratuities; and emergency medical evacuation insurance for every passenger (the latter being a rare offering among companies cruising to Antarctica).

Roald Amundsen and Fridtjof Nansen

Operator: Hurtigruten Expeditions.

Hurtigruten Expeditions, a Norway-based expedition cruise company, has a long and storied history in polar travel, so it's no surprise that the company broke new ground in the polar cruising niche when it unveiled the 528-passenger Roald Amundsen and sister ship Fridtjof Nansen in 2019 and 2021, respectively.

Named after famous Norwegian polar explorers, the ships are the cruise industry's first to run on electric hybrid engines. This not only saves fuel but also allows for noiseless operation in sensitive polar areas where silence can make all the difference (near a penguin rookery, for instance, or a calving glacier).

Other unusual features include a full-blown science center with state-of-the-art gadgets and underwater drones for passenger use.

Related: These 8 books are must-reads before an Antarctica trip

Both of these vessels sail with a maximum of 500 passengers when operating in Antarctica, which is on the high side for an Antarctic-based vessel. If you're eager to make a lot of landings in Antarctica during a trip to the continent, Hurtigruten's newest ships may not be the best choice. With Antarctic regulations limiting landings to 100 people at a time, these ships only can land a small fraction of their passengers at any given time.

For that reason, I am partial to the older but more intimate Hurtigruten polar vessel Fram, which carries just 200 passengers when operating in Antarctica. But Roald Amundsen and Fridtjof Nansen have one big advantage versus that ship and many others operating in Antarctica, which is that their starting rates for trips to the region are significantly lower. As bigger ships, they also may feel more stable at times.

The details: Fares for 11-night Antarctica cruises start at $7,334 per person, based on double occupancy. Fares include a pre-cruise, one-night hotel stay in Buenos Aires; round-trip flights from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia; beer and wine with meals; and free Wi-Fi.

Scenic Eclipse

Operator: Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours.

Unveiled in 2019, this super-swanky, 228-passenger "discovery yacht" was the first oceangoing vessel for luxury purveyor Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours -- a brand better known for river cruises.

Like Scenic river ships, Scenic Eclipse is a high-end vessel with all-suite accommodations (and we're talking real suites, with separate living rooms), butler service for all and a wide range of onboard dining options including a sushi restaurant. It has a whiskey bar stocked with more than 110 whiskies and other high-end liquors, plus a spa and a yoga studio.

Scenic Eclipse also was the first Antarctica-bound cruise vessel to boast helicopters to take passengers on epic (and pricey) Antarctica excursions -- and it has a submarine for underwater exploring, too. Having experienced a helicopter excursion from the vessel, I can say that it's truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

On the downside, the helicopter pad and hangars eat up a lot of space on the vessel's top deck, as do the suites along the vessel's sharply sloping front. The combination leaves less available room for observation areas. The result is a ship with less outdoor space for viewing scenery than is typical for small vessels operating polar trips.

The details: Fares for 12-night Antarctica trips start at $15,655 per person, based on double occupancy. Fares include a pre-cruise, one-night hotel stay in Buenos Aires; round-trip flights from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia; drinks, including spirits and fine wines; and prepaid gratuities.

Le Soleal, Le Boreal, Le Lyrial and L'Austral

Operator: Ponant.

Launched between 2010 and 2015, these four sister ships are regular visitors to Antarctica -- both under the banner of Ponant, a French brand, and as vessels chartered to high-end, U.S.-based tour companies Tauck and Abercrombie & Kent.

A pioneer in polar travel, Ponant has a long tradition of operating voyages to Antarctica, and this series of ship was specially designed for such trips. They all are hardy (with 1C ice class ratings from Lloyd's Register) but also stylish, with contemporary interiors and comfortable rooms.

Note that the onboard ambiance of these vessels sometimes can be significantly different depending on whether they are sailing on a trip marketed by Ponant (where announcements and onboard programming will be in both French and English, with many of the passengers being French-speakers) or by Tauck or Abercrombie & Kent (where the onboard experience will have a much more distinctly American vibe).

Related: This new luxury tour gets you to Antarctica faster than most

In September 2021, Ponant unveiled an even tougher polar vessel, the 270-passenger Le Commandant Charcot. Equipped with ice breaking capabilities, it's able to sail to polar areas that most other polar cruise vessels can't reach. Note that, currently, its Antarctica sailings are being mostly marketed by Ponant itself, which means they may draw mostly French-speaking travelers.

The details: Fares for 11-night Antarctica trips start at $11,350 per person, based on double occupancy. Fares include a pre-cruise, one-night hotel stay in Buenos Aires; and round-trip flights from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia.

Viking Octantis

Operator: Viking.

Just unveiled in early 2022, Viking Octantis is fast-growing Viking's first-ever expedition cruise ship, and it boasts some unusual features that make it one of the best cruise ships for exploring Antarctica.

Most notable is The Hangar, an enclosed marina that allows passengers to transfer to small Zodiac boats for landings while still in the protected interior of the ship. It's a first for an expedition cruise ship.

Viking Octantis also has what may be the most stunning lecture hall ever at sea. Located at the back of the vessel, the high-tech room has sliding walls behind the spot where lecturers will stand that can open to reveal the surrounding scenery through floor-to-ceiling glass.

Viking Octantis is designed to carry 378 passengers, which is on the high side for Antarctica cruise ships. Like Hurtigruten's Roald Amundsen and Fridtjof Nansen, it isn't able to land all or even most of its passengers at once in Antarctica.

Like Scenic Eclipse, Viking Octantis carries a submarine for underwater exploring, as well as kayaks. In a first for polar expedition cruise vessels, every cabin has floor-to-ceiling glass walls that slide partially open from the top to create a balcony-like feel. Public areas feature the same elegant Scandinavian design found on Viking's ocean ships and river ships, as well as such familiar Viking venues as Italian restaurant Manfredi's and a top-of-the-ship, glass-walled Explorers' Lounge.

A sister vessel to Viking Octantis, Viking Polaris, will debut in August 2022 and also will sail to polar regions.

The details: Fares for 12-night Antarctica trips start at $13,995 per person, based on occupancy. Fares include a pre-cruise, one-night hotel stay in Buenos Aires; beer and wine with lunch and dinner; and shipboard Wi-Fi.

Planning an Antarctica cruise expedition? Start with these stories:

• Dreaming of Antarctica: How to book the trip of a lifetime
• Skip the Drake Passage: What it's like flying to Antarctica on a chartered plane
• 7 tips for visiting Antarctica before it's too late
• The ultimate packing list for an Antarctica trip

Antarctica Small Ship Cruises

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Classic Antarctica Air Cruise

• Cruise the South Shetland Islands
• View penguins, seals, and whales
• Attend lectures and presentations
• Explore the Antarctic landscape

Antarctica - Basecamp

• Cross the infamous Drake Passage
• Hike, kayak, zodiac cruise, & more
• Camp ashore on the White Continent
• Spot whales, penguins, and more
• Antarctic Small Ship Expedition

South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula

• Sail across the Drake Passage
• Look for spectacular wildlife
• Explore the South Shetland Islands
• Set foot on the Antarctic continent
• Antarctica Express Air Cruise
• Visit the legendary Cape Horn
• Attend presentations and lectures
• Sail through ice-filled bays
• Explore Antarctic bases & stations

Antarctic Explorer: Discovering the 7th Continent

• Explore local bays and channels
• Scout for humpback & minke whales
• Experience a Polar Plunge swim
• Learn from on-board specialists

Epic Antarctica: Crossing the Circle via Falklands & South Georgia

• Explore the Antarctic Peninsula
• See thousands of pairs of penguins
• Follow in Shackleton's footsteps
• Cross the Antarctic Circle
• Enjoy Flightseeing tours

Spirit of Antarctica

• See penguin colonies
• Zodiac cruise
• Kayak or camp ashore
• Explore Antarctic marine life

Antarctica Complete

• Step ashore on the Antarctic
• See the king penguins

Celebrating Antarctica

• Sail across the Antarctic Peninsula
• Encounter unforgettable wildlife
• Cruise among icebergs
• Stop to see historical sites

Across the Antarctic Circle

• See leopard and crabeater seals
• Tour scientific research stations
• Dive and snorkel in the Antarctic
• Capture wildlife activity
• Hone your photography skills
• Explore the Drake Passage
• Navigate on a Zodiac
• Take a Polar Plunge

Falklands, South Georgia & Antarctica via Ushuaia

• Explore Stanley, East Falkland
• Cruise scenic bays and channels
• See Grytviken Whaling Station
• View bird colonies and seal wallows

Emblematic Antarctica

• Embark on Zodiacs
• Visit research and whaling stations
• Look out for wildlife
• Marvel at the dynamic landscapes

Antarctica - Beyond the Polar Circle - Whale Watching

• Discover Ushuaia
• Admire unique widllife
• Visit the epic Neko Harbour
• Sail through the Lemaire Channel

Antarctica Travel Guide

• All Antarctica Trips
• Antarctica Luxury Cruises
• Best Time of Year to Travel to Antarctica
• Comparing the Two Polar Regions: Antarctica and Arctic Cruising
• Antarctica FAQs
• Antarctica Weather
• Antarctica Fly + Cruise
• Punta Arenas
• Falkland Islands
• Antarctica Adventure Cruises
• Kayaking in Antarctica Tours
• Camping in Antarctica

Favorite Antarctica All Trips

• Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica: Explorers and Kings

Top Antarctica Travel Destinations

• South Georgia

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Antarctica Trips by Activity

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• Antarctica wilderness lodge exploration (4)

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Antarctica Cruises

In our New Year's Sale, we are covering the cost of your international flights to Antarctica!

Go with the global leader in expeditions to Antarctica

Nothing compares to an Antarctica expedition. For many, exploring this vast, frozen continent is a once-in-a-lifetime dream. To cross the Drake Passage and reach the last great frontier - a place where sun glints off pristine ice and wildlife reigns supreme - is truly life-changing. And that's why you'll want to do it with the experts. At HX, we've been exploring Antarctica for over 20 years, and we do so in a sustainable style, with a world-leading science programme that actively helps the fragile ecosystems we explore.

20 years and counting

We've been exploring the White Continent expedition-style for over 20 years, so for the best cruises to Antarctica choose HX.

Across selected sailings, we will cover the cost of your flights to Antarctica!

Meet the locals

The seas and shores around Antarctica teem with wildlife. See colonies of penguins, graceful whales and curious seals. On a trip to Antarctica, you'll marvel at pristine panoramas of snowy mountains, wind-sculpted icebergs and mighty glaciers.

The krill-rich waters around the White Continent support abundant wildlife: from humpback whales and fur seals to albatrosses and penguins. An estimated population of 12 million penguins of several species call the Antarctic Peninsula home.

Exploring Antarctica

An all-inclusive cruise to Antarctica with HX means entering explorer mode. You’ll join our experienced Expedition Team in small launches as we go on shore landings and seek out wildlife.

Other activities include kayaking, snowshoeing, camping, and perhaps even a polar plunge if you want to experience a pure Antarctic rush!

We go beyond Antarctica, with South Georgia, the Falkland Islands, Patagonia and more included on many of our voyages.

A symphony of ice and sky

Experience the tranquillity of vast panoramas and sail among the sublime frozen icescapes of Antarctica, as we pass between icebergs, close to calving glaciers, and past huge ice floes in the Southern Ocean.

Cruises to Antarctica

In-depth Antarctica & Patagonia Expedition | Southbound

Departure date

Price from $26,373

Antarctica & Patagonia Expedition | Southbound

Departure Dates

21 Oct 24, 1 Nov 24

Price from $18,613

MS Roald Amundsen +1

MS Roald Amundsen MS Fridtjof Nansen

Antarctica & Falkland Expedition

6 Nov 24, 20 Nov 24 + 4 more departures

Price from $16,785

MS Roald Amundsen

Adventure is All-Inclusive

An HX trip includes everything from daily excursions and activities to our onboard Science Centre, meals, gratuities, drinks and more. ​ All designed to give you the expedition experience of a lifetime.

Active exploration

On an HX expedition cruise to Antarctica, you’ll be an explorer not a passenger. Cross the Drake Passage and explore expedition-style as we seek out remote landing sites for nature encounters.

Activities in Antarctica

On your all-inclusive trip to Antarctica you'll get closer to the Seventh Continent than you ever dreamed. Experience the magic as you step off your expedition boat and feel the crunch of snow beneath your boots. Guided by your Expedition Team, you'll be able to paddle through icestrewn waters, photograph penguins and whales guided by our expert photographer, hike across pristine landscapes wearing snowshoes, and perhaps take a polar plunge if you're feeling brave. For a lucky few, camping in tents overnight is the ultimate Antarctic experience.

Snowshoeing

When the conditions are right, there's no better way to cross the frozen terrain than by wearing snowshoes. Our modern equipment makes it easy to walk on the soft snow, and the elements are usually best during our late spring and early summer Antarctica cruises.

Hear the beautiful 'symphony of the ice' as you glide silently past nature's frozen works of art in a sea kayak. Designed for close-up polar exploration, there's no better way to encounter the wildlife of Antarica and to enjoy its soul-stirring scenery.

Camping | Amundsen Night

Spend a magical night camping in a tent on the shore in Antarctica. In the style of the early explorers, we use our specialised equipment to spend the night under the stars for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. As you might expect, camping is a popular activity and numbers are limited. Who gets to go usually has to be decided by a lottery system. Feeling lucky?

* Please note that these are optional activities; an additional cost may apply.

Wildlife on ice

Even in the extreme environment of Antarctica, life not only survives but thrives. Its icy seas, isolated icebergs and snow-driven deserts are home to wildlife that surprises and charms.

Wildlife in Antarctica

Nowhere on Earth feels as remote as Antarctica, yet the wildlife here is abundant and spectacular. The icy shores are a haven for millions of penguins, as well as seals and seabirds, while the deep blue waters support a huge population of whales. Your Expedition Team will help you spot and photograph iconic animals, and there will be lectures on ornithology and natural history from our wildlife experts. In the Science Centre you'll learn more, and perhaps even help out with wildlife conservation through out Citizen Science projects.

Where science and learning meet nature

Science is at the core of our voyage into the heart of the natural world in Antarctica. Learn about geology, climatology and ornitholgy, and collect samples and take part in experiments with our onboard scientific experts.

Your Antarctica Expedition Team

You're in the best hands with your onboard Expedition Team. Handpicked experts from a range of backgrounds, you'll soon discover their passion and energy for Antarctica is infectious. They'll lead you on adventures off the ship, deliver fascinating lectures, unlock nature's wonders in the Science Centre, and perhaps even entertain you along the way. On your cruise to Antarctica, the Expedition Team will be your companions in adventure.

Expedition Ships | The perfect balance

Our state-of-the-art expedition vessels feature hybrid propulsion technology, ice-class hulls and advanced onboard waste-reduction systems. Large enough to offer excellent stability and a spacious onboard experience, yet small enough to get off the beaten track, you'll discover that HX ships are the perfect balance for the ultimate Antarctic adventure.

Purpose-built as an expedition cruise ship, MS Fram is an exceptional base camp for explorers. On board, comfort is a top priority, so after a day of exploration you can relax in a hot tub, dine in your choice of two restaurants or at the outdoor BBQ and catch up with your fellow guests with a cocktail in hand as you watch the scenery glide past in the Explorer Lounge & Bar. In the Science Centre, at the heart of the ship, you’ll discover more about the places you sail to and listen to talks by the Expedition Team.  With key expedition features and technology, MS Fram is primed to bring you on a journey of discovery to our planet’s most alluring and unspoiled regions. 

Named after the first man to cross Antarctica and to reach the South Pole, MS Roald Amundsen leads the way towards an even more sustainable way of travelling. The ship is specially constructed for voyages in polar waters. It serves as a comfortable base camp at sea – bringing adventurers from all over the world to the most spectacular destinations in the most sustainable way.

MS Maud, previously MS Midnatsol, is named after one of the most famous polar vessels of all time, Roald Amundsen's 'Maud' from 1917. The original 'Maud' got her name from the first Queen of modern-day Norway. She also had her namesake in Hurtigruten Expedition’s 1925 flagship, DS Dronning Maud ('DS Queen Maud'). Today, MS Maud is equipped with advanced technology that makes her exceptionally well-suited for expedition cruises in Norway and the British Isles.

MS Fridtjof Nansen

The newest addition to our fleet will honor the heritage of her namesake – the Norwegian explorer, scientist, humanitarian, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Fridtjof Nansen. Known for his innovations in Arctic expeditions, Nansen led the first crossing of Greenland on cross-country skis. He is perhaps most famous for his attempt to reach the geographical North Pole during the Fram Expedition (1893-1896). Interestingly, after Nansen's Fram expedition, the ship was passed on to another great explorer who secretly planned an expedition to the South Pole - Roald Amundsen.

Make a difference

Support the scientific community in collecting valuable data on Antarctica that contributes to global research by participating in our Citizen Science Programme.

Stories from Antarctica

Expedition Travel Guide to Antarctica

Antarctica is the pinnacle of expedition and adventure travel! Start planning your journey to exploring this pristine world of ice, wildlife, and awe-inspiring beauty.

15 Interesting Facts About Antarctica

On the southern-most tip of the planet rests one of the world's most massive and mysterious landmasses - the frozen realm of Antarctica.

Seven Incredible Drake Passage Facts

You might assume that the Drake Passage was first sailed by British explorer Sir Francis Drake, but the truth behind this waterway’s somewhat misleading name is just one of many interesting facts about the passage.

Antarctica is the only continent with no significant plant life and no native land mammals, reptiles, or amphibians. Even in the extreme environment of Antarctica, life not only survives but thrives. Its icy seas, isolated icebergs and snow-driven deserts are home to wildlife that surprise and charm all who visit them.

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The 88-guest Ushuaia is one of the smallest ships operating in Antarctica. Originally built for the United States agency NOAA (National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration), the ice-strengthened polar vessel is very well appointed with ample deck space and an open bridge policy that invites guests to observe the navigational operations of the ship. A full complement of inflatable landing craft ensures superb landings and wildlife viewing opportunities on the otherwise inaccessible Antarctic coastline to help maximize her passengers’ time on land.

Ushuaia Review

AdventureSmith Explorations’ Ushuaia review includes a detailed description of the small ship including deck plans and a photo gallery. Our Antarctica experts have been aboard nearly every first-class vessel in Antarctica. Please read our Ushuaia review below then contact our experts to compare the Ushuaia with other Antarctica ships , ice-class  expedition ships  offering  Antarctica cruises .

Choose the Ushuaia ship for her small size, cabin sharing options, excellent expedition staff, ample on-land time and no frills atmosphere. With a low passenger count all guests can disembark at the same time, allowing for longer landings and shore excursions. The Ushuaia is competitively priced and offers cabin sharing options without single supplements, giving single travelers a more economical option.

Sustainability Aboard Ushuaia

Ushuaia operates within the parameters of the Antarctic Treaty System, including the Antarctic Treaty and the Protocol on the Environment and Annexes and IAATO guidelines. In this context, the protection of Antarctic wildlife as well as the respect for scientific research and the wish to keep Antarctica pristine are of utmost importance on Ushuaia voyages. 

Part of the ship’s effort is dedicated to enhance the awareness and concern for the conservation of the Antarctic environment and its associated ecosystems by giving lectures and informal talks on board prior to arrival. Once ashore, passengers are accompanied by chosen scientists and guides, who love to share their knowledge. By offering her passengers the opportunity to experience the continent firsthand, Ushuaia creates a corps of ambassadors for the continued protection of Antarctica.

Common Areas Aboard Ushuaia

There are public outdoor viewing areas on multiple levels of the ship, most notable is the Panorama Deck, a large open deck providing the perfect place for wildlife and landscape viewing. The indoor public areas feature a large dining room accommodating all guests in a single seating. The open-plan observation lounge/lecture room shares views and utilizes modern multimedia equipment. Also found here is a gift shop, bar and a well-stocked library with books and games. A changing room and a small infirmary are aboard as well. Ushuaia is equipped with the INMARSAT system, which allows direct communication with the ship by telephone from any location in the world. There is also WiFi available for guest use in common areas, at added cost. Costs will be charged to guests’ cabins to be paid at the end of the voyage. Emails without attachments can be sent and received at a charge, while emails with attachments, digital photos, etc. can be sent, but charges may be significant. Smoking permitted on exterior decks only.

Dining Aboard Ushuaia

Onboard chefs prepare excellent cuisine including many local specialties, and the bar is well-stocked with carefully selected wines and spirits. Breakfast includes a continental and American breakfast buffet, lunch is plated or buffet style and dinners are plated three-course meals. Coffee and tea are offered throughout the day. Most dietary restrictions can be accommodated (with the exception of Kosher meals), with prior notification. Casual expedition attire is the accepted apparel for the voyage and meals.

Crew & Guides Aboard Ushuaia

Ushuaia’s expert captain, officers and crew are highly experienced in Antarctic navigation and have a great love for nature. A specialist team of international expedition leaders and lecturers are all extremely knowledgeable, enthusiastic, helpful and dedicated to the protection of the environment. All of Ushuaia’s expedition staff speak English and Spanish fluently and lead daily briefings to summarize the experiences ashore. To ensure that the best qualified staff and field personnel are employed, Ushuaia continues to train and educate her guides and naturalists, requiring online field assessment and annual evaluations for all expedition leaders and assistants.

Activities Aboard Ushuaia

Each day, guides aim to make at least two landings with a duration of about three hours each, with longer walks available. With a full complement of inflatable landing craft, the Zodiac cruises are highlights of the trip, as these small vessels allow for a more intimate look at the landscape and wildlife. Each trip also plans to visit at least one of the scientific stations to get an inside look into the research taking place in Antarctica.

Each evening, the daily program for the next day will be presented by the expedition leader. Included in the program is information about the next day’s activities, events, landing times, meal times and lecturers and informative Antarctic themed movies are often shown en route to new locations. Rubber boots are provided on board free of charge, from size 35 (US 4) up to size 45 (US 11). Jackets and other gear are not provided.

Cabins & Deck Plan Aboard Ushuaia

Ushuaia has 46 comfortable cabins and suites, with ample storage space to accommodate 88 passengers. Both private and semi-private facilities, with hairdryers provided, are available depending upon cabin category. The Ushuaia is unique for her cabin sharing options without single supplements, giving single travelers a more economical option. The ship is fully climate controlled with individual temperature controls in each cabin. Cabins are fitted with multi-type sockets suitable for several international plugs; the electrical current on board is 110 V/60 Hz.

#631 & 639 on Deck E: 1-2 windows, private facilities & 3 lower berths.

#407-414, 416, 418, 420 & 422 on Deck E: 1-2 portholes, 2 berths (upper/lower) & semi-private facilities including an in-room washbasin & a bathroom with shower & toilet shared by 2 cabins.

#423, 425, 630, 632-638 & 640 on Deck E: 1-2 portholes or 1 window, private facilities & 2 lower berths. Cabin #640 has 1 double berth.

#205, 208, 210-213 on Upper Deck G: 1-2 windows, private facilities & 2 lower berths.

#203 & 301-308 on Upper Deck G: 1-2 windows, private facilities & 2 lower berths. Cabin #301 has 1 double & 1 single berth.

#201-202, 204 & 207 on Upper Deck G: 2 windows, private facilities, lounge, TV, DVD player & fridge. Suite #201 features 2 twin berths and a sofa. Suite #202 has 1 double bed with sofa bed in the sitting area. Suites #204 & #207 each feature 2 lower single berths & 1 sofa bed in the sitting area, separated by a door.

#214-215 on Upper Deck G: 1 porthole, private facilities and 1 single berth. Please note that porthole view is obstructed by lifeboat.

Ushuaia Ship Reviews from Our Travelers

All the places offered unique viewpoints and wildlife. The expedition crew and engineers did a great job combining local conditions and knowledge of the area to remain flexible and still deliver a wonderful experience.

Great cruise choice!!!! They were excellent. It was nice and small so we all got a LOT of time on land. Really good service and food. No complaints!

Personal goal to step foot on all 7 continents. Met a friend who had done it and highly recommended the trip. The expedition was an amazing experience.

Had friends who were on the Ushuaia 15 years ago and loved it. Loved all of it - the boat, the crew, the other guests, the food, and of course, Antarctica.

I loved the trip overall! All the places offered unique viewpoints and wildlife. The expedition crew and engineers did a great job combining local conditions and knowledge of the area to remain flexible and still deliver a wonderful experience. Wonderful group of people. Nice age and activity spread among the group. Only wish we got to go on the peninsula more than we did. 

Accommodations Review

I spent very little time in the cabin other than sleeping.

Meals Review

Better than I was expecting while underway.

Crew & Guides Review

Daniel the bartender was fantastic.  He was incredibly skilled and professional.  The kitchen staff made excellent food, especially Sebastacion, and Fabian and the hospitality staff were awesome as well. Augustine, Kata, Lida, Juan, and Anna did an amazing job.  They gave great presentations to the guests and did a great job trying to create the best experience for the guest possible. They were all professionals that were friendly and approachable. They did a wonderful job!

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

Andrew sent an excellent information pack that alleviated my questions and helped me prepare.

Traveler Advice

First thing is definitely do this destination! It was amazing! Pack less layers than you think. I wore the same couple every day and you're not outside very long at any one time. Bring a couple more things to wear on the boat instead. Meal times are set so bring your own snacks if you get hungry often or like to snack.

Featured in this Traveler Review

• Classic Antarctica
• Andrew Browning

Great cruise choice!!!! They were excellent. It was nice and small so we all got a LOT of time on land. Really good service and food. No complaints! 

Explorer ships are much better for Antarctica than conventional cruise ships.

3 course meals, twice a day! Plus an excellent buffet breakfast. Wow. Awesome. 

They were all good, lead by Augustine. Also Pablo, who helped load people onto zodiacs, was truly helpful and friendly!

Lots of heads up notice, checking in with us, all good. The Argentina tax situation changed in the middle, but we were able to Google that and ask. 

Don't overpack. Have one good FULL set of cold weather clothes, with lots of layers included (including thermal underwear). Then just swap out your shirts and underwear beneath that. 

The ship is old and could use an update; however, it served its purpose and was a comfortable base.

The meals far exceeded my expectation for an expedition style cruise. Proportions and variety was good and the presentations were as close to gourmet as one could expect. The service crew was also attentive and made the dining experience even that much better.

Itinerary Review

[We most enjoyed]...the polar plunge, and brown station. Actually getting to set foot on the peninsula was exciting. On a couple days, we did miss out on activities due to "supposed" weather conditions which seemed to be nothing but sunny and calm (I'm sure the crew knew more than we did) but we were told that there was a storm that forced us to cut the trip short.

Transportation Review

We arranged our own transportation, but AdventureSmith was helpful advising beforehand and provided information along the way.

I felt that the ship's captain put everyone's safety first as he adjusted and modified plans. Our main guide was a very knowledgeable man; however, his English was not as good as I would expect on a bilingual expedition.

Fellow Passengers Review

There were 21 different countries represented on the expedition which made it fun and exciting to meet people from all over the world. The size was perfect to get to know almost everyone on the trip.

Arielle was amazing! The trip was rescheduled twice due to covid and she was amazing at communicating and helping answer questions in a respectable timeframe. It was refreshing to work with a company that actually has a human being that was so helpful.

Take the risk! You won't be disappointed. The landscapes and experiences with the wildlife are surreal! It's an amazing experience and one you won't soon forget. The ship is well equipped so pack comfortably and light...less is more.

• Arielle Lightcap

For the price we paid, the accommodations were excellent. Nothing fancy but it worked. Was really nice to have daily maid service.

Delicious meals all around. I need to get some exercise now after eating so well on the ship.

[We most enjoyed]...Cruising among the icebergs both in the zodiac and the ship. Seeing leopard seals up close. Zodiac among no name islands. Seeing the massive mountain ranges along the straight. The Drake passage was challenging due to the sheer length of it. Great to have seen it once, but didn’t look forward to the return trip especially as we were in a storm. Makes for good stories though!

Pablo was great. He explained things well, had a great sense of humor, answered questions clearly, and inspired confidence. The other guides were excellent as well. Martin in particular was outstanding for his knowledge, demeanor, and fluent English.

Amazing group of people. Diverse in age and nationality. Really fun.

We booked our trip last minute. Taylor worked though the weekend to ensure everything was sorted out for us.

• Taylor Cranney

Get Aboard the Ushuaia Expedition Ship

This 10- or 11-day Classic Antarctica expedition cruise to the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands boasts more time on land for guests thanks to accommodation aboard the 88-guest Ushuaia, one of the smallest ships operating in Antarctica.

The 22-day Classic South Georgia Cruise offers spectacular scenery, outstanding wildlife and history of human endeavor in a remote island group at the bottom of the world.

100+ combined years of experience, 7 continents explored, decades of expedition cruising around the world & here to help you find & book your dream trip.

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Curious how the Ushuaia stacks up to similar Antarctica ships ? View comparable options below or contact us for further intel. We love to share our insights so let us help you compare the Ushuaia to other small ships cruising around Antarctica. Our experts are standing by with unbiased advice, personalized to you.

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Antarctica Cruises from Argentina

Dreaming about cruising through icy waters of Antarctica ? Begin your adventure in Argentina! You can start your cruise in Ushuaia or Buenos Aires . Don't know how to plan your trip? Check our guide on how to get to Antarctica and the best way to travel to Antarctica from Argentina.

62 Antarctica cruises from Argentina with 64 positive reviews

• Ocean Cruise

Antarctica Classic

The trip was Epic. The crew was amazing. Couldn't think of one negative thing about the trip. If you are looking to go to Antartica, no better boat to do it with.

Quest for the Antarctic Circle

Absolutely amazing. Crew were incredible. Zodiac outings excellent. So much wildlife to see. Worth the extra days and money to cross into the polar circle. Amazing adventure. No. 1 bucket list trip ticked off. G Adventures were excellent and recommend without any hesitation.

• Christmas & New Year

Classic Antarctica - 10 days

We can’t say enough good things about this tour, the ship and the crew. Our time on board was fantastic. Our captain had a great deal of experience and we felt completely safe at all times on the ship. The expedition team were knowledgable and friendly, and all the crew from the deck hands to the bridge went out of their way to be helpful and kind. The food was wonderful, the scenery unbelievable and the small passenger group made us all into friends by the end of the journey. If you have ever wanted to visit the White Continent, book your trip on the MV Ushuaia and be prepared to have the experience of a lifetime!!

Antarctic Explorer via Buenos Aires, Operated by Quark

Weather was very good for us Organized well Expedition team were good Food was very good

South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula- Ocean Victory & Ocean Albatros vessels

The crew, the food, the service is wonderful ~~~

In the Realm of the Penguins

Longing Destination Arctic Circle

Realm of Penguins & Icebergs (12 Days)

Christmas in Antarctica (12 Days)

Beyond the Antarctic Circle (Start Callao (Lima), End Buenos Aires)

Antarctica in Depth (Start Buenos Aires, End Buenos Aires, 2025)

Best of Antarctica: Wildlife Explorer (Ocean Endeavour)

Great trip. One of best ones ever.

Antarctic Express: Fly the Drake, Operated by Quark

The trip was amazing and the pristine environment in Antarctica needs to be seen and felt to be appreciated. Quark provided a platform to conduct the the trip in a sustainable manner, impeccable procedures to preserve the environment and also good food to enjoy. Thoroughly enjoyable and unforgettable trip. One suggestion for Quark is to clearly advise future participants to cater 2-3 days leeway to allow for flights delay or cancellation due to the changeable weather conditions. There was a 2 days delay for my trip due to planes being unable to land in Antarctica due to accumulated snow on the runway. This caused a frantic rush to change flights and other travel arrangements for many participants aggravated by the limited internet access in Antarctica which could be avoidable or mitigated if the participants were advised of probable delays prior to the trip.

The Ultimate Antarctica Experience - The Peninsula In Depth

Basecamp Antarctica

Argentina antarctica tour reviews.

It is truly a once in a lifetime experience.

excellent in each and every aspect

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Award-Winning Actress & Performer Hannah Waddingham to Serve as Godmother of Stunning Sun Princess

Newest “love boat” to be officially christened in star-studded ceremony in barcelona on april 23, 2024.

By downloading this image you agree to the Princess asset use terms and conditions

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. , (April 8, 2024) - Award-winning actress and performer Hannah Waddingham will serve the time-honored, maritime tradition as the official Godmother of Princess Cruises’ newest “Love Boat” Sun Princess. The star-studded naming ceremony will take place at the Port of Barcelona on April 23, 2024. 

Waddingham joins an esteemed group who have served as Godparent to Princess ships: Diana, Princess of Wales (Royal Princess, 1984), Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales (Royal Princess, 2013); Audrey Hepburn (Star Princess, 1989); Sophia Loren (Crown Princess, 1990); Martha Stewart (Crown Princess, 2006), among many notable celebrities.

British actress and singer, Waddingham is beloved for her role as Rebecca Welton in Apple TV+’s “Ted Lasso,” in which her performance garnered a Primetime Emmy, Critics Choice Television Award and Screen Actors Guild Award, as well as two individual Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations. She will next be seen in the highly anticipated Universal film “The Fall Guy” opposite Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt in theaters on May 3, 2024. Earlier this year, Waddingham earned a BAFTA TV Award nomination for her own Apple TV+ holiday special “Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas.” Waddingham made her worldwide hosting debut in April 2023 at The Olivier Awards (she returns as host for the 2024 ceremony on April 14) followed swiftly by the BBC Eurovision Song Contest 2023, for which she has gained her second BAFTA TV nomination and won The Royal Television Society award for “Best Entertainment Performance” in 2024. Her upcoming films include Sony Animation film “Garfield” out May 24, 2024 and in 2025 “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two.”

“We’re delighted to welcome the illuminous and elegant Hannah Waddingham to serve as Godmother for our sensational new Sun Princess,” said John Padgett, Princess Cruises president. “Just like Sun Princess, she exudes sophistication, beauty and wonderment through her inspiring work as a talented and award-winning actress and performer. We’re truly honored Hannah will officially name our most impressive, luxurious and stunning Love Boat ever created, and join an esteemed group of Princess Godparents including members of the Royal family.”

The new 177,882-ton, 4,300-guest Sun Princess introduces an innovative new ship platform designed exclusively for the world’s most iconic cruise brand. A true engineering marvel, Sun Princess officially started the inaugural cruise season on February 28, 2024, and currently is sailing a series of Mediterranean voyages before debuting in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., in October for the ship’s first Caribbean season. 

Princess ships are renowned for offering spacious venues and Sun Princess takes that to the next level. Sun Princess debuts new eye-catching experience venues including The Dome, a groundbreaking geodesic, glass-enclosed structure at the top of the ship inspired by the terraces of Santorini. The outward and suspended Sphere Atrium, the namesake of this new class of ship, takes the central Piazza hub of the ship into a new dimension. Here guests are enveloped with expansive ocean views and an open concept, inspired to deliver the desired lifestyle of relaxed indoor and outdoor living.

Sun Princess offers an extraordinary cruise experience with not-to-be-missed culinary, entertainment and luxury accommodations, including: 

The Greatest Foodie Destination at Sea

Sun Princess serves up 30 inviting restaurant and bar venues with an unprecedented collection of celebrity collaborators, high-end ingredients and culinary experiences from: 

Spellbound by Magic Castle : Blending the captivating world of magic with the art of culinary and mixology to create an extraordinary, innovative and immersive dining experience, steeped in magic and adventure. 

Makoto Ocean : Reshaping traditional sushi with a creative approach, the Master of Edomae-style sushi, Chef Makoto Okuwa brings his 25 years of experience with a new concept crafting playful, exquisitely presented dishes paying tribute to Japanese traditions. 

Love by Britto : A high-end boutique restaurant with the most romantic view from the ship celebrating love and art from world-renowned artist Romero Britto. 

The Butcher’s Block by Dario : A new specialty pop-up restaurant from the world’s most famous butcher Dario Cecchini, guests enjoy perfectly prepared beef and steak, including Cecchini’s signature cuts. 

The Catch by Rudi : An exceptional dinner concept from renowned Chef Rudi Sodamin showcasing delectable treasures from the sea. 

Good Spirits at Sea with Rob Floyd : Destination-inspired, one-of-a-kind cocktail creations from celebrity mixologist Rob Floyd.

Debuting a three-story dining room with endless aft views, inaugural menus have been created in collaboration with the Culinary Institute of America. While retaining what guests love about Princess, the ship also features favorites like Crown Grill, Sabatini’s and Crooners with new design elements to impress.

Showstopping Entertainment in Technically Advanced Spaces

The Princess Arena is the most technologically advanced theater at sea, offering showstopping and original productions including performances in the round. At night, The Dome astonishes audiences with acrobatic Cirque Éloize performances while the Piazza dazzles with a retractable stage and immersive Champagne Waterfall. 

Elevated & Welcoming Areas & Accommodations

Sun Princess also features the cruise line’s largest casino, two-story Lotus Spa, and an expanded retail environment with more than 200 premium brands. The retail space also includes several firsts a sea including an upscale showroom dedicated to luxury horology showcasing TAG Heuer and Breitling and more than 25 new brands available to cruise guests like Italian handbag brand, Pinko and athleisure favorites Beyond Yoga and Varley. 

The first-ever family activity zone, Park19, offers multi-generational fun from the top deck. Within decks 19, 20 and 21, guests can experience everything from the Sea Breeze, a glider ride that offers panoramic views of the ocean and breathtaking ports of call to the Coastal Climb, an engaging climbing structure where guests can take in the gorgeous views.

With diverse accommodations to suit every preference and more than 1,500 cabins with balcony views, Sun Princess’ re-imagined staterooms include exceptional suites and new Cabana Mini-Suites with extra space for secluded outdoor relaxation.

Rooted in sustainability, Sun Princess is the first LNG (liquefied natural gas) vessel for the cruise line, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and features ingenious energy recovery systems for eco-conscious cruising. 

Sun Princess cruises to the Mediterranean and the Caribbean are on sale now. More ship details can be found at  www.princess.com/sunprincess . 

Additional Sun Princess assets can be found here .

More information about Princess Cruises is available through a professional travel advisor, by calling 1-800-Princess (1-800-774-6237) or by visiting  www.princess.com . 

Media Contacts

Contact information for members of the media

Negin Kamali, +1 661-753-1539, [email protected]

Briana Latter, +1 661-753-1538, [email protected]

About Princess Cruises

Princess Cruises is The Love Boat, the world’s most iconic cruise brand that delivers dream vacations to millions of guests every year in the most sought-after destinations on the largest ships that offer elite service personalization and simplicity customary of small, yacht-class ships. Well-appointed staterooms, world class dining, grand performances, award-winning casinos and entertainment, luxurious spas, imaginative experiences and boundless activities blend with exclusive Princess MedallionClass service to create meaningful connections and unforgettable moments in the most incredible settings in the world - the Caribbean, Alaska, Panama Canal, Mexican Riviera, Europe, South America, Australia/New Zealand, the South Pacific, Hawaii, Asia, Canada/New England, Antarctica, and World Cruises. The company is part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE:CCL; NYSE:CUK).

Additional media information is available at princess.com/news

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David Kushner

These Women Came to Antarctica for Science. Then the Predators Emerged

Content warning: This article includes scenes of physical and sexual harassment and assault.

The trouble in Antarctica started in Boston. It was August 1999, and Stanford geologist Jane Willenbring was then a 22-year-old self-described “country bumpkin.” She had just arrived to start her master’s in earth science at Boston University. As an undergrad with an oboe scholarship at North Dakota State University, she’d studied beetle fossils found in Antarctica and learned how, millions of years ago, the now frozen continent once pooled with freshwater lakes. “That’s not so different from the conditions we might expect in the future,” she says. She wanted to explore this critical science. “It seemed really important for future global climate change ,” she says.

Of all the geologists, few were more renowned than the one Willenbring had gone to Boston to study under: 37-year-old David Marchant. Marchant, a scruffy professor at BU, was a rock star of rock study. He was part of a research group that rewrote Antarctic history by discovering evidence of volcanic ash, which showed that Antarctica had been stable for millions of years and was not as prone to cycles of warming and cooling as many thought. To honor his achievements, the US Board on Geographic Names approved the naming of a glacier southwest of McMurdo Station, the main research base on Antarctica, after him.

Willenbring says Marchant had insisted on picking her up at the airport, an offer she thought was nice but strange. It got stranger when he started making her feel bad for his gesture, which she hadn’t asked for. “I’m missing a Red Sox game,” she recalls him chiding her. “You really should have picked a better time to fly.” He asked whether she had a boyfriend, how often she saw him, and whether she knew anyone in Boston or would be alone. In a few months, she’d be heading with him on a research trip to Antarctica and the region with his big chunk of namesake ice. “It was almost like a pickup line,” she recalls, “‘I have a glacier.’”

But it’s what happened in the glacier’s shadow that led Willenbring to take on Marchant and become the first to expose the horrors faced by women at the bottom of the world. A report released in August 2022 by the National Science Foundation, the main agency funding Antarctic research, found that 59 percent of women at McMurdo and other field stations run by the US Antarctic Program said they’d experienced sexual harassment or assault. A central employer, Leidos, holds a $2.3 billion government contract to manage the workplaces on the ice. One woman alleged that a supervisor had slammed her head into a metal cabinet and then attacked her sexually. Britt Barquist, a former fuel foreman at McMurdo, says she had been forced to work alongside a supervisor who had sexually harassed her. “What was really traumatic was telling people, ‘I’m afraid of this person,’” she says, “and nobody cared.”

With a congressional investigation underway, Willenbring is sharing her full story for the first time with the hope of inspiring others to come forward and claim the justice they’ve long deserved. But even now, decades after she first got into Marchant’s car, she can’t help asking herself how, and why, the nightmare happened in the first place. “You never hear a women-in-science panel where people are talking about stuff like I do,” she says, “because they’re smart enough to fucking run.”

Karen Williams

Vittoria Elliott

Lauren Goode

Reece Rogers

In November 1999, Willenbring flew to New Zealand and boarded the large militaristic plane arranged by the NSF for the eight-hour flight to McMurdo Station. She was heading there with Marchant and another grad student, Adam Lewis, for her first trip to the continent. They’d be collecting samples from a plateau where glaciers had drained through the ice. This would help them understand when glaciers had eroded and would give insight into future climate change scenarios. “I really wanted to go to Antarctica, hike around, dig holes, collect samples. That kind of thing,” she says.

It didn’t take long for Willenbring to notice that there might be unexpected challenges ahead. The plane didn’t have a private toilet. Instead, at the back, there was essentially a bucket partially concealed by a curtain that didn’t reach the floor. “This is fine for guys, because they just stand and pee into the bucket,” Willenbring says. “But I would have to hold on to my pants, and you could see my butt.” On other occasions women resorted to using “pee funnels,” she later learned, but no one had ordered one for her. Marchant told her he chose not to order one, she recalls, because he thought it was “gross having women stand up while they pee.”

After landing on the ice shelf airfield, Willenbring felt “totally spellbound,” with her boots slipping on the icy surface and the cold crisp snap of Antarctic air in her lungs. She rode in a giant bus as she got debriefed, she says, on the dos and don’ts of life in the delicate ecosystem she’d come to study: how to sort garbage, what to keep in bottles or bags. McMurdo Station itself wasn’t much to look at—just a jumble of buildings and construction vehicles. At that time of year, the research station housed around 1,000 people, including scientists and crew. Many liked to go to the annual kegger in the helicopter hangar or to gather at Gallagher’s, the station’s watering hole.

As a newbie “on the ice,” as locals put it, Willenbring had to complete survival camp before heading into the field. She excelled at making a fire in the snow, tying the correct knots to secure a tent, and building an igloo, in which she had to sleep for a night. There was one other newbie in the Boston group who was even less experienced than Willenbring, and certainly less qualified: Jeffrey Marchant. To her surprise, David Marchant had brought along his older brother. Jeffrey wasn’t a scientist; he was a research assistant professor at Tufts University’s medical school who, Willenbring recalls, had tagged along for fun. It seemed outrageous to her that Marchant would disrupt their work like this. But he just laughed when she questioned him, and he told her to call his brother by his field nickname: Ken Tonka. The name had come up when the group was playing the “porn star name” game of pairing a team member’s middle name with their favorite childhood toy. But she recalls Marchant telling her that “Tonka” was also “because his penis was like a Tonka truck.”

the four of them—the Marchant brothers, Willenbring, and Adam Lewis—took a helicopter more than 70 miles to the desolate Dry Valleys region, where they’d be spending weeks doing research. Most field scientists flew back now and then, but Marchant had told Willenbring that he believed in toughing it out in the bitter cold: no showers, no bathrooms, and, as she learned, no privacy. “He views himself as the second coming of Ernest Shackleton,” Lewis recalls, so much so that Marchant asked to be called by the nickname Shack.

Marchant seemed to have no patience for anyone slowing him down, especially women. Lewis told Willenbring that on a previous expedition, Marchant had bullied a high school teacher, Hillary Tulley, who’d joined them to participate in their work. On one of the group’s first days there, “he marched up the side of a mountain as fast as he possibly could for no other reason than to make Hillary tired,” Lewis says (and Tulley confirms). “He would say things to her like, ‘You’re not gonna make it. You’re slowing us down, Hillary. I don’t know even know why the hell you’re here.’” Tulley recalls that “it was a big clusterfuck from the jump … It was all just not good.”

When they’d pause out in the field to talk, “Marchant would always stop at the place where there was a big rock so he could stand on it to be the tallest,” Tulley says. “One day, I stood on the rock first, and the way he looked at me … I just thought it was so easy to bait this guy. To establish dominance.”

Willenbring had her own trouble to face. Marchant had brought three tents for the four of them. He said she would be sharing with his brother. “Why don’t you stay with your brother?” she asked Marchant. “Because Jeff likes you,” he told her, suggestively. (Jeffrey Marchant declined to comment for this article.)

As they spent their days digging for volcanic ash and carefully collecting samples of sediment and rocks found in glacial ice, Marchant would talk up his brother to Willenbring. He said Jeffrey played oboe, just like her, and asked whether she’d seen his brother’s penis yet. She had. She would be sleeping in their tent when sometimes she would hear him wake up, and then see him standing there, peeing into a bottle with an erection.

As disgusted and nervous as this made Willenbring feel, she also felt afraid to challenge Marchant. Like any grad student, she needed her adviser’s approval and support to advance in her field—to get a thesis approved, receive a recommendation, get referrals for a job. “He definitely had the power,” she says. Willenbring stuck it out.

But as the days passed and the polar sun beamed over them around the clock, Willenbring’s research mission became increasingly dark. On some days, Marchant made them hike for 13 hours while collecting samples. During the long journeys over the unforgiving rocks, Willenbring feared they’d hit an ice storm, or go so long without a snack that Lewis, who was diabetic, would go into insulin shock. (Lewis says he packed an abundance of snacks to ward off the risk.)

Marchant tried to run them like a boot camp. “He made us all do push-ups. You know, ‘Gimme 50!’” Lewis says of at least one occasion. The few times Lewis mustered the nerve to speak up—warning Marchant that he might be crossing a line—he says Marchant laughed him off.

Even if Willenbring had gathered the courage to call for help, there was only one way to do it. The group had a radio that they used to call back to base and deliver a daily check-in message, alerting McMurdo personnel that they were safe. But, Willenbring says, Marchant never let it out of his control. Every morning, he’d call back to McMurdo: “Four souls in camp, and all is well.”

Willenbring’s feelings of isolation grew. Then, one day, while digging into the gravelly sediment off on her own, amid the sandstone and dolerite, she found a big piece of granite. “It was serendipitous,” she says. “This was something new.” The presence of granite suggested an unexpected twist in the historical record—and in assumptions of when ice had deposited sediment at that location. But when she showed Marchant the dark jagged samples, he dismissed her as “a dumb fucking whore,” she says. “I was like, ‘I just can’t win,’” she recalls.

As repulsed and angry as she felt, Willenbring knew her findings were valuable, no matter what Marchant said. It became clear that belittling her had become a sport for him, whatever the circumstance. He would chastise her for carrying heavy equipment and for not carrying any at all. Sometimes it would get to be too much, and she would break down. “He hated when I’d cry,” she recalls. “He’d laugh and then get mad at me for crying. It was just the ultimate fucking with my head.”

One day, Marchant asked her to look closely at a sediment sample he held in a small bent spoon, then blew the crystalline shards into her eyes. Another time, she says, he grabbed her by her backpack and pushed her down a loose gravel hill she was struggling to climb. She resolved that she would fight back if she needed to. She had already told him that she was a black belt in tae kwon do. “I don’t know how to put this in a way that doesn’t make me sound totally psycho,” she tells me, “but if it had gotten super bad, I would’ve just beaten him with my hands or by smashing him in the face with a shovel.”

Marchant didn’t relent. He pushed her down and taunted her. She fantasized about punching him in the nose. Midway through the field season, he started pelting her with rocks whenever he caught her urinating—easy for him to do since there were no bushes or trees. Willenbring began drinking less water so she wouldn’t have to go to the bathroom. She got a bladder infection. It got so bad that she started urinating blood. When she told Marchant, he told her to drink cranberry juice. Throughout it all, Marchant would radio each day and give the OK message back to base. “Four souls in camp,” he would say, “and all is well.”

after the team returned to Boston, a faculty member asked Willenbring to write a tenure recommendation letter for Marchant. She felt she had no choice, so she did it. She recalls that he’d made it clear she was not to speak of their time on the ice—that if she did, she’d be branded a liar. In other words, she believed he would ruin her career.

When he tried to enlist Willenbring in hazing a younger student and denigrating their work, she refused. But the stress was taking a toll. “I would try to push it far, far down,” she tells me. “You try not to think about it, that it’s there. Otherwise it’ll drive you crazy.” After more than two years at BU, Willenbring left with her master’s degree.

She moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, to work on a PhD in earth sciences at Dalhousie University. After finishing, she landed a coveted position as an assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science at the University of Pennsylvania. It was a joyous moment—the great payoff after many difficult years. But Willenbring says the bad behavior resumed. She says male colleagues made degrading remarks—about her clothing, about her nipples, about her being too fat to fit behind seminar desks. (She was pregnant.)

One day, when her child was 3, Willenbring was without childcare and brought her daughter along to the lab. She set her up in an observation room with a window so the little girl could watch. Willenbring went into the adjacent room and waved as she suited up in a white coat and goggles. For the first time, her daughter seemed to understand that her mom was a real-life scientist. “I want to be a scientist just like you!” she exclaimed.

Willenbring responded by bursting into tears. “I was imagining her going through what I did,” she tells me. When her daughter asked her why she was crying, she reassured her, though it felt like a lie. “Sometimes mommies do happy tears,” she said, “because it makes me so happy that you want to be a scientist.”

That night, Willenbring went home on a mission. She decided it was time to finally speak out. She opened her laptop and wrote up a draft of her complaint against David Marchant. But then she got scared. She didn’t have tenure. Her academic career still felt insecure. She set the draft aside.

A few months later, in 2016, Willenbring moved with her daughter across the country to become a professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. It had been nearly two decades since she escaped her time with Marchant on the ice, but her experiences left her both psychologically and physically damaged. (She has fought bladder problems since her infection in the field.) She also carried an intense sense of shame for not having spoken out, one way or another, despite her fear at the time. She felt sick imagining Marchant harassing other students with impunity. But now, in her new job, she finally had tenure.

In October of that year, Willenbring filed a Title IX complaint about Marchant. When Boston University officials assured her that they would look into the matter, she felt hopeful. “I actually thought they would be happy to know about this,” she says, “because what a horrible liability, having this guy as a professor.”

David Marchant did not respond to WIRED’s request to comment.

Following Willenbring’s complaint, two other women joined the action: “Deborah Doe,” who alleged that Marchant had called her a “cunt” and a “bitch” and had threatened her PhD funding—she had been so traumatized that she left higher education—and Hillary Tulley, the high school teacher from the earlier trip with Marchant. “His taunts, degrading comments about my body, brain, and general inadequacies, never ended,” as Tulley put it.

Around the time, the Me Too movement was gaining momentum. The Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse scandal broke, and the monstrous behavior in Antarctica went viral. Samantha Bee joked about it on her show Full Frontal , saying, “You can’t even go to the most remote part of the planet without some dude swinging his cold, shriveled dick your way.” It felt cathartic for Willenbring, but it also brought new challenges—starting with the death threat she found written on her office door.

In November 2017, the university concluded its investigation and determined that Marchant had in fact sexually harassed Willenbring and that the case warranted the start of termination proceedings. Marchant appealed, and a group of faculty recommended that he merely be suspended for three years without pay. After that, he was free to return. It seemed that despite Willenbring’s effort, more needed to be done to finally bring justice, and light, to the horrors at the bottom of the earth. Three months later, that’s exactly what happened.

In February 2018, the environmental news site Grist published an account from five women who alleged sexual harassment, sexual coercion, and bullying on the inaugural Homeward Bound, a leadership-development voyage to Antarctica for women in science and technology fields. One claimed to have woken up next to a naked crew member with “no memory of what had happened.”

Founded by Australian leadership expert Fabian Dattner, the voyage had a tagline: “Mother Nature needs her daughters.” Seventy-six women had paid about $15,000 each for the three-week trip, which included workshops on the boat and scientific tours in Antarctica, where the voyagers focused their research. University of Tasmania sociologist Meredith Nash boarded the ship as a researcher studying leadership programs for women in science and tech. What she discovered on the expedition shocked her.

One night on the ship, Nash, a native Chicagoan with tattooed arms and a crest of blond hair on her close-shaved head, attended a group party that quickly devolved into a drunken bash, with the captain wearing a dress and another crew member being led around on a leash. (Nash says there’s “a long Antarctic tradition for men to cross-dress.” A Homeward Bound representative noted, “On every voyage at the midway point of the journey we have a costume party which is a celebratory experience for all the women to join and participate.”)

Nash, as part of her study, had collected video diaries from women on the journey. She was going through them back in Tasmania when she found a video of a woman crying in the ship’s dining room because a crew member, she said, had just followed her back to her room and tried to hold the door open and enter without her permission. Nash, horrified, emailed and then called the woman to see whether she was OK. “She said she’d already talked to the faculty about what happened,” she says, “and that was that.”

The woman in the video was Nicole Hellessey, a PhD student at the University of Tasmania who had joined the Homeward Bound program to connect with other women scientists. Recalling the incident, Hellessey says that she alerted members of the voyage’s faculty while still on board, but no one followed up or checked in on her before or after Nash’s phone call. “I dealt with that trauma alone,” she says. (Homeward Bound says that “if participants raised any concerns … this information was shared with the Homeward Bound leadership team.”)

“This was a voyage for women to go to Antarctica and break boundaries, and instead, the few men on board made this experience feel like a microcosm of the real world,” Hellessey adds. “I felt unsafe, and what happened to me brought me back to reality.”

According to Dattner, two crew members lost their jobs following the voyage. After the trip, many of the women sent the Homeward Bound organizers a list of recommendations, which included developing a code of ethics and closing the bar by midnight. About a quarter of the women thought the list didn’t go far enough, and sent a second letter urging the program to, among other things, hire an independent clinical psychologist and foster an environment free from offensive and intimidating language.

“A lot of mistakes were made on the first trip that some of us fought very, very hard to remedy for future expeditions,” says Sea Rotmann, who participated in the Homeward Bound trip. The program implemented some of the ideas and dozens of others to improve safety. (In 2018, a New Zealand magazine had been reporting on the allegations of abuse and harassment when lawyers representing Homeward Bound threatened the publication with the possibility of a lawsuit. Lacking the financial resources to deal with litigation, the magazine killed the story.)

Stunned by what had happened on the Antarctica expedition, Nash dug further. She continued interviewing and collected surveys from more than 150 women scientists about the treatment they faced while conducting remote field work in Antarctica. Sixty-three percent of them reported being harassed, and about half said they’d never spoken up about what had happened. The harassment ranged from physical assault to microaggressions: “PhD supervisors withholding data,” Nash says, “or preferencing the male members of a research team over the women.”

In 2020, the Australian Antarctic Division commissioned her to lead a government-funded review of diversity, equity, and inclusion at its programs. “When I first started,” she tells me, “one of the scariest moments I had was when one of the people I was working with said, ‘See that guy there? He raped that woman over there 10 years ago on station.’”

During her nearly two years working on that review, Nash learned about widespread incidents of harassment and assault. The reign of male expeditioners in the region and the isolation of the harsh environment made it all the more insidious. “Women have to work in the field with their abusers for weeks at a time because they simply can’t leave,” as she puts it. In the spring of 2021, she suggested to the director of the Australian Antarctic Division, Kim Ellis, that he immediately launch a more specific investigation into sexual misconduct.

That didn’t happen, but Ellis says he met with Nash monthly and implemented many of her other recommendations, including hiring three women to roles within the previously all-male executive team, providing menstrual health products in all bathrooms at Antarctic division offices, and improving training on sexual misconduct.

Nash says there’s more to be done. And it starts with more women speaking out. “The only reason we know about David Marchant is because Jane Willenbring had the courage to talk about her experiences.”

On April 12, 2019, Boston University finally fired David Marchant for sexually harassing Willenbring. (The university said it could not corroborate her claims of physical and psychological abuse.) Marchant released a statement, which the journal Science quoted as vowing that he had “never” sexually harassed anyone, “not in 1998 or 1999 in Antarctica or at any time since.” But because of Willenbring, the word was out.

Reeling in the wake of this scandal, the National Science Foundation commissioned an outside study on sexual assault and sexual harassment at the Antarctic research facilities. The lengthy report, made public in August 2022, had shocking allegations of assault, stalking, and harassment. Britt Barquist, the former fuel foreman, was on contract at McMurdo with a company now called Amentum. She oversaw a crew of about 20 who did the dangerous work of handling and cleaning diesel and gasoline fuel tanks. One day in late November 2017, she tells me, she was sitting at a table alongside a man who held a senior position at Leidos, the company managing the Antarctic research stations. He’d been running a briefing for the staff when he groped her in plain view.

When she talked about it with her supervisor, he said he’d witnessed some of the incident himself. His boss reported it to the human resources department at Amentum. “I told HR that I don’t want to be anywhere around him ever again. I am scared of this person,” Barquist says, “And they said, ‘OK.’”

But in 2020, during another stint working with the McMurdo contractor, she was told she’d be attending weekly virtual meetings with that same senior official. Barquist, who needed the job, downplayed it to herself. “It was just disgusting and awful to have to look at his face and listen to him talk,” she says, “just to see him treated as a normal guy, when in my head I’m like, ‘This guy is a predator. Why is everyone just acting like he’s some normal person?’”

The next year, toward the end of nearly three weeks of Covid quarantine with a crew in New Zealand, she’d scanned the manifest for an upcoming flight to Antarctica and saw the senior official’s name on it. When she called her HR department over a spotty connection to complain, she says she was met with obstinance by two officials, one of whom had been introduced as a victim’s advocate.

“I said I still don’t want to be around this guy,” she tells me, “but they said, ‘So how do you suggest we deal with this?’” Barquist gets emotional as she recalls her conversation with the two women from her employer. “I thought they were going to be on my side,” she says. Instead, they kept pressing her as to how afraid she felt to be around him.

“I finally was like, ‘Yes,’” she says, “‘I feel unsafe being alone in a room with him!’” Then the signal dropped, she says, and she never managed to reconnect with them. Barquist flew back to Antarctica, where she tried to avoid the senior official. But as her team’s safety depended on her communicating with him on a nearly daily basis, she eventually relented.

Amentum would not answer specific questions about Barquist’s case but did say that the company had “zero tolerance for harassment” and, once informed of an allegation, “cooperates with investigation requests and, where appropriate, conducts its own internal investigation.” Leidos, meanwhile, said that it has “zero tolerance for such behavior.”

Jennifer Sorensen, a food steward and janitor at McMurdo, felt from the start that she’d arrived on an island of men. Women, she sensed, “weren’t going to necessarily be seen as human.” Sorensen fell into what locals call an “ice relationship” with a man while they were stationed together. But the day after Christmas, she says, her “ice boyfriend” raped her. Two years later, she reported it to a communications specialist at Leidos as well as the HR department and president of GHG, the company that employed the individual. She was stunned when, following a four-day investigation, GHG told her that the attack was not an assault. Instead, a GHG executive told her, “We have concluded that a sexual incident took place that resulted in feelings of humiliation and extreme discomfort for you.”

The company informed her that it was sexual harassment, which meant the most that could be done was for GHG not to hire her alleged rapist back. “It just felt like this bizarre game of telephone, where I was truthful,” she says, “and then they tried to repeat it back to me like, ‘No, that’s not it at all.’” (GHG ultimately did not view this incident as a violation of the NSF’s Polar Code of Conduct.)

After the NSF released its August 2022 report on sexual harassment and assault at McMurdo and the other US stations in Antarctica, Leidos submitted a statement to the US Congress claiming it had received “zero allegations” of sexual assault in the past five years. “Either they’re straight-up lying,” Barquist says, “or somehow they put what happened to me into some weird bucket of ‘not sexual assault.’” As part of a 2023 investigation by the Associated Press, other women came forward, including a woman who alleged she was choked and assaulted by a colleague at McMurdo in November 2022. (The accused was later found not guilty in a jury trial.) Women at the station formed a group, Ice Allies, to support and educate one another.

In a statement to WIRED, the NSF says it has “been grappling with this challenge for many years” and that the report prompted the agency “to take quick and deliberate action” to improve the safety and culture of Antarctica’s research bases. According to a spokesperson, “These are only our initial steps in Antarctica. We will continue to make changes as part of an ongoing effort to address the community’s needs.”

Two months after the NSF report came out, the Australian government finally released Nash’s study to the public, though it published only seven of her 42 pages and redacted specific individuals’ accounts. Tanya Plibersek, Australia’s minister for environment and water, whose office in part oversees the country’s Antarctic programs, said she was “gobsmacked” by what she read. “There is no place for sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior in any workplace,” she said. Kim Ellis, the Antarctic division director, issued a statement saying he was “deeply concerned” and “accepted all the recommendations.”

Nash’s report hinted, however, at a larger problem—lack of trust. Women felt the program’s leadership lacked the “deep knowledge” required to take meaningful steps, and doubted HR’s ability to properly handle formal complaints. Three months later, Ellis announced his resignation.

Nash’s work also prompted Australia’s Antarctic leaders to commission a more comprehensive review. Released in spring 2023, it included a survey of nearly 250 people and found that “a significant number of participants do not believe” the Antarctic division “is psychologically safe, and there are negative consequences for speaking up.” The division says that it has since expanded its leadership training programs.

As in the US, however, the problem down under hasn’t gone away. At the end of 2023, a leaked survey of women in the Australian Antarctic program showed that nearly one-third of survey respondents reported seeing or experiencing bullying or harassment in the previous two months but felt afraid to speak up about it. “The reason why women don’t want to talk,” Nash says, “is because they’ve been gaslit this whole time, where everyone’s saying, ‘It didn’t happen. I don’t want to hear it. I don’t believe you.’”

The NSF has since announced changes at McMurdo, including banning the sale of alcohol at Gallagher’s and appointing a woman as special assistant to the NSF director focusing on sexual assault and harassment prevention and response. Leidos told a congressional committee that it would require more security clearances for those wielding master keys that open multiple dorm rooms and that it would install peepholes so people inside can see who’s at the door. The company also promised to give field teams additional satellite phones—the sort of thing Willenbring could have used when she was stuck with Marchant. “We take sexual harassment and assault allegations seriously,” a spokesperson for Leidos told WIRED in a statement. “We also strictly enforce our policies prohibiting retaliation against employees who raise concerns. At Leidos, we expect a safe and respectful environment for everyone.” Until recently, however, the individual who Barquist said harassed her had remained employed by the company.

Representative Zoe Lofgren, the ranking member of the US House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, which is conducting the congressional investigation into Leidos and the NSF, says that such slow-walking should never take place. “Leidos has maintained a willful ignorance to the situation on the ice.”

Willenbring tells me she believes the response from the NSF and others has been sluggish at best. It took six years from when she filed her complaint with Boston University for the NSF to come out with fixes. With two dozen other countries, including Russia, the UK, and Brazil, having at least one base on Antarctica, it’s likely only a matter of time before more stories emerge. Only two other countries have guidelines in place for reporting sexual assault and harassment in their programs. Many nations with a presence in Antarctica don’t have workplace harassment laws at all. As Nash puts it, some of those other countries “are going to have to have their own moment of reckoning.”

In November 2023, another Homeward Bound expedition set off for Antarctica with dozens of women on board. Fabian Dattner, the organizer, tells me that more than 60 new rules have been put in place to ensure a safe and productive environment. In addition to a prohibition against crew mingling with scientists, the voyage now has a psychologist and psychiatrist on board and the ship’s bar closes as early as 9:30 pm.

The harassment of female scientists in Antarctica has another consequence: the impediment of the work of women such as Willenbring who have devoted their lives and research to better understanding climate change. There will be plenty of work that has to be done. A report published online in October in the journal Nature Climate Change documented an alarming trend. Some of the waters around Antarctica glaciers are projected to warm at a pace three times faster than that of the previous century. This will cause “widespread increases in ice-shelf melting, including in regions crucial for ice-sheet stability,” the study determined. This could contribute to devastating sea level rise—between 1 and 3 feet—by 2100.

One glacier is no longer listed on the map: the one named for David Marchant. Two years after Willenbring filed her complaint, the US Board on Geographic Names voted unanimously to strip Marchant’s name from his coveted berg. Willenbring posted the news on Twitter along with the hashtag #MeTooSTEM. The 7-mile-long glacier, which drains the slopes of the Rampart Ridge, is now called Matataua, after a nearby mountain peak. It rises far beyond McMurdo Station—a reminder of the men who claimed the ice and the women taking it back before it’s gone.

Let us know what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor at [email protected] .

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Things to Do in Elektrostal, Russia - Elektrostal Attractions

Things to do in elektrostal.

• 5.0 of 5 bubbles
• 4.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• Good for a Rainy Day
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• Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, photos, and popularity.

1. Electrostal History and Art Museum

2. Statue of Lenin

3. Park of Culture and Leisure

4. museum and exhibition center.

5. Museum of Labor Glory

7. Galereya Kino

8. viki cinema, 9. smokygrove.

10. Gandikap

11. papa lounge bar, 12. karaoke bar.

• Statue of Lenin
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Antarctica Cruises & Tours

Explore Antarctica on an out-of-this-world adventure 

With us, it’s good trips only. And as far as good old-fashioned adventures go, this is the big one. You’ll cross the infamous Drake Passage and set foot on the Antarctic Peninsula. Explore ice-dotted bays by Zodiac. Marvel at waddling gentoo penguins and spot migrating blue whales. The reasons why you should visit Antarctica are endless. By travelling with us, you'll experience this incredible part of the world in a way that builds human connection and gets closer to nature while respecting the environment. 

'Antarctic cruises' doesn't really do it justice. These are Antarctic adventures. 

Our Antarctica trips

The ocean endeavour: inside our expedition ship, why choose us.

Our Ocean Endeavour is built tough; designed to handle the harsh Antarctic wilderness with ease while ensuring your safety at every step of the adventure.

Our experienced expedition team are at the top of their fields. You’ll find out everything you want to know from our Antarctic experts, including naturalists and ornithologists.  

We don’t call them hands-on, feet-on adventures for nothing. Get closer to the action with, not one, but two daily excursions on land and, via Zodiacs, at sea. 

Our onboard creature comforts will warm you up after your Antarctic outings. Expect 3-course meals, 24/7 tea and coffee and fascinating evening seminars.  

We’re committed to providing the highest safety standards, which is why the Ocean Endeavour, and all our operations teams undergo regular safety audits.

We’re deeply committed to being a responsible business and take considered steps to minimise our impact, support vital research and promote conservation in the Antarctic.  

Antarctica tour reviews

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Journey to the Antarctic Circle (Ocean Endeavour)

Articles of Antarctica

12 hours in the shoes (or muck boots) of a traveller visiting Antarctica  

When your day job is leading expeditions to the bottom of the earth in Antarctica 

Globetrotters share what it’s like to spend your birthday with Intrepid

This is what it’s like to collaborate with real scientists in Antarctica

Everything you need to know about the Ocean Endeavour

Arctic vs Antarctic cruises: How to choose your polar expedition

The 10 Antarctica questions you want answered

Pro tips and travel tales from Antarctica photography guide Andrew Miller

Antarctica Optional Experiences

Antarctica citizen science program

Antarctica Camping

Polar Kayaking Adventures

Antarctica Snowshoeing

Antarctica photography

Antarctica Day Paddle

Antarctica Stand-up Paddleboarding

Extend your adventure

Beyond the Ocean Endeavour

Popular regions

Antarctica at a glance.

(UTC+13:00) New Zealand

CALLING CODE

Electricity.

Type A (North American/Japanese 2-pin) Type B (American 3-pin)

Learn more about Antarctica

Eating and drinking.

Eating and drinking in Antarctica is done aboard your expedition ship, with all meals provided for the duration of your journey. Tea and coffee, as well as soft drinks and juices, are ready to greet you when you come back from a shore landing and at meal times, while alcoholic beverages are also available, but for an additional price.

Breakfasts and lunches tend to be buffet style, while dinners are typically served tableside and usually feature three courses. The range of food is diverse, with professional chefs preparing a wide selection of gourmet dishes, and a vegetarian option is always included. Afternoon tea, with pastries or cookies, is also provided every day.

If you have any dietary requirements or food allergies, please let us know before the trip starts. If you have a more restrictive dietary requirement (vegan, gluten intolerance, fructose intolerance, etc) it is likely you can be catered for. Unfortunately, we are unable to cater for a kosher diet.

There may not be any stores on the Antarctic Peninsula, but that doesn't mean you can't do any shopping. The Ocean Endeavour has its very own polar boutique equipped with every little knickknack and thingamabob you might need to help commemorate your journey to the seventh continent (think all the essentials, clothing and souvenirs).

Geography and environment

Encompassed by the Antarctic convergence (an uneven line of latitude where the cold waters of the Antarctic merge with the warmer waters of the world's oceans), Antarctica is both cold and remote, located in the Southern Hemisphere. Due to its south-polar position, the Antarctic continent is covered in ice and experiences very harsh conditions unsuitable for permanent human residency.

While plenty of animals live in Antarctica (such as various species of whale, penguin, seal and bird), there are very few humans that call Antarctica home, instead using the region as a base for research. There are no cities in Antarctica but there are several research stations positioned on the continent belonging to various countries like Russia, the United States and Australia.

History and government

Antarctica was formed around 35 million years ago and remained undiscovered until around 1820 when Russian explorers spotted the mainland. However, this may have only been the first documented discovery of Antarctica, as it's believed that Pacific Islanders may have reached the white continent in 650 AD.

There were many attempts to set foot at the South Pole in the early 20th century, so much so that it was dubbed the 'Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration', with many trying and failing until a Norwegian explorer by the name of Roald Amundsen reached in 1911. Exploration didn't stop there though with a total of 17 major expeditions launched in the following years from 10 different countries, the last one being Ernest Shackleton's last ill-fated voyage in 1917.

Antarctica isn't owned by one single country, instead governed internationally through the Antarctic Treaty system signed in 1959 by 12 countries who had sent scientists to Antarctica during and around that time. These countries included Argentina, Australia, France, Japan, New Zealand, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

Further reading

Antarctica travel faqs, where is antarctica.

Antarctica refers to the seventh continent of the world and is largely situated in the Antarctic Circle - a line of latitude sitting at around 66.5° south of the equator - at the base of the globe.

The Antarctic refers to the region made up of south polar zones that include the seas and some outlying islands. 

What country is Antarctica in?

Antarctica isn't part of one single country, rather it is a continent governed under a series of recognised guidelines and agreements called the Antarctic Treaty System.

What are the possible landing sites in Antarctica?

Each expedition includes stops at various landing sites around the Antarctic but when you stop at them and for how long often depends on the weather, as well as sea ice and wildlife movement. 

What types of animals live in Antarctica?

While Antarctica may not be hospitable to human life, there are plenty of animal species that call the seventh continent their home. This includes penguins, whales, sea birds, seals, and more. 

What is it like travelling solo on a cruise to Antarctica?

While you can't embark on an expedition to the world's seventh continent alone, you can travel solo on a group tour to Antarctica.

This means you'll still have plenty of free time to do your own thing (and use the ship's excellent amenities) but also have the comfort of knowing expert leaders are handling the pesky logistics.

You can also choose from a variety of accommodation arrangements, from single cabins to room-sharing, depending on your preference. 

When is the best time to visit Antarctica?

Antarctica is best visited in the summer months from November to March when the weather is warmer and the sea ice has melted enough to get closer to the island shore.

What is the weather like in Antarctica?

The climate in Antarctica is the coldest one on Earth with cold summers and freezing winters. The warmest month is January with averages of around 10°C (50°F).

What do I wear in Antarctica?

You have to be prepared and thorough when packing for Antarctica due to its remote location. Make sure you bring lots of layers, gloves, sunscreen, and moisturiser among other items.

Is there internet, wi-fi, email or telephone access available on the ships?

Internet access is available on most Antarctic ships, at a cost. Alternatively, there may be a ship-based email system where you will have an email account to stay in touch with family and friends. Because of the remoteness of Antarctica, connections can be slow, so all ships charge for data used rather than time spent online. Please refer to your detailed pre-departure information for more information on Internet facilities on your ship.

Will my mobile phone work in Antarctica? 

Your mobile phone will not work during your Antarctica cruise as the continent is still considered extremely remote and doesn't have the right telecommunication infrastructure in place.

Can my family and friends contact me while I’m on board in the case of an emergency at home?

Yes. There is a number to call the ship and you can purchase data for the wi-fi onboard, although the connection is intermittent and not to be relied on.

How do I choose an Antarctic cruise?

Deciding on the Antarctic cruise that suits you best comes down to figuring out the time of year you want to go, the itinerary, and how long you want the cruise to be.

How much does a cruise to Antarctica cost?

The cost of an Antarctica cruise largely depends on the departure date, how long the cruise goes for, and the type of cabin you book on the ship but most cruises start from AUD$7,000.

How fit do I need to be to travel to Antarctica?

While the destination itself might conjure up images of nefarious voyages only the fittest can endure, you only need to be in good health and be able to move around freely to participate in and enjoy Antarctica's numerous activities and adventures.

If you have an average fitness level (and above) you are compatible with Antarctica travel, so you don't need to spend hours in the gym before considering booking a trip. 

How do we meet our responsible travel targets in Antarctica?

This question is something we thought long and hard about before deciding to run our own ship in Antarctica. We’re deeply committed to being a responsible business and understanding the impact we have on the places we visit. All Intrepid trips are  100% carbon neutral , but we are driven to do more, from committing to science-based decarbonisation targets to and recently updating our  Seven-point Climate Action Plan . 

We’ve approached responsible travel in Antarctica with three areas of focus that we believe will create the greatest positive impact: inspiring travellers, supporting science and protecting the environment. 

Does my trip to Antarctica support The Intrepid Foundation?

Yes, all Intrepid trips support the Intrepid Foundation. In fact, we make a donation on behalf of every traveller. Trips to Antarctica directly support our foundation partner, WWF.

WWF-Australia is a well-established conservation organisation helping protect our natural environment. Donations from our trips help their pioneering whale research and conservation efforts to establish marine protected areas around Antarctica and save whale species from extinction. 

Intrepid will double the impact by dollar-matching all post-trip donations made to The Intrepid Foundation.

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40 facts about elektrostal.

Written by Lanette Mayes

Modified & Updated: 02 Mar 2024

Reviewed by Jessica Corbett

Elektrostal is a vibrant city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia. With a rich history, stunning architecture, and a thriving community, Elektrostal is a city that has much to offer. Whether you are a history buff, nature enthusiast, or simply curious about different cultures, Elektrostal is sure to captivate you.

This article will provide you with 40 fascinating facts about Elektrostal, giving you a better understanding of why this city is worth exploring. From its origins as an industrial hub to its modern-day charm, we will delve into the various aspects that make Elektrostal a unique and must-visit destination.

So, join us as we uncover the hidden treasures of Elektrostal and discover what makes this city a true gem in the heart of Russia.

Key Takeaways:

• Elektrostal, known as the “Motor City of Russia,” is a vibrant and growing city with a rich industrial history, offering diverse cultural experiences and a strong commitment to environmental sustainability.
• With its convenient location near Moscow, Elektrostal provides a picturesque landscape, vibrant nightlife, and a range of recreational activities, making it an ideal destination for residents and visitors alike.

Known as the “Motor City of Russia.”

Elektrostal, a city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia, earned the nickname “Motor City” due to its significant involvement in the automotive industry.

Home to the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Elektrostal is renowned for its metallurgical plant, which has been producing high-quality steel and alloys since its establishment in 1916.

Boasts a rich industrial heritage.

Elektrostal has a long history of industrial development, contributing to the growth and progress of the region.

Founded in 1916.

The city of Elektrostal was founded in 1916 as a result of the construction of the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Located approximately 50 kilometers east of Moscow.

Elektrostal is situated in close proximity to the Russian capital, making it easily accessible for both residents and visitors.

Known for its vibrant cultural scene.

Elektrostal is home to several cultural institutions, including museums, theaters, and art galleries that showcase the city’s rich artistic heritage.

A popular destination for nature lovers.

Surrounded by picturesque landscapes and forests, Elektrostal offers ample opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, and birdwatching.

Hosts the annual Elektrostal City Day celebrations.

Every year, Elektrostal organizes festive events and activities to celebrate its founding, bringing together residents and visitors in a spirit of unity and joy.

Has a population of approximately 160,000 people.

Elektrostal is home to a diverse and vibrant community of around 160,000 residents, contributing to its dynamic atmosphere.

Boasts excellent education facilities.

The city is known for its well-established educational institutions, providing quality education to students of all ages.

A center for scientific research and innovation.

Elektrostal serves as an important hub for scientific research, particularly in the fields of metallurgy, materials science, and engineering.

Surrounded by picturesque lakes.

The city is blessed with numerous beautiful lakes, offering scenic views and recreational opportunities for locals and visitors alike.

Well-connected transportation system.

Elektrostal benefits from an efficient transportation network, including highways, railways, and public transportation options, ensuring convenient travel within and beyond the city.

Famous for its traditional Russian cuisine.

Food enthusiasts can indulge in authentic Russian dishes at numerous restaurants and cafes scattered throughout Elektrostal.

Home to notable architectural landmarks.

Elektrostal boasts impressive architecture, including the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and the Elektrostal Palace of Culture.

Offers a wide range of recreational facilities.

Residents and visitors can enjoy various recreational activities, such as sports complexes, swimming pools, and fitness centers, enhancing the overall quality of life.

Provides a high standard of healthcare.

Elektrostal is equipped with modern medical facilities, ensuring residents have access to quality healthcare services.

Home to the Elektrostal History Museum.

The Elektrostal History Museum showcases the city’s fascinating past through exhibitions and displays.

A hub for sports enthusiasts.

Elektrostal is passionate about sports, with numerous stadiums, arenas, and sports clubs offering opportunities for athletes and spectators.

Celebrates diverse cultural festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal hosts a variety of cultural festivals, celebrating different ethnicities, traditions, and art forms.

Electric power played a significant role in its early development.

Elektrostal owes its name and initial growth to the establishment of electric power stations and the utilization of electricity in the industrial sector.

Boasts a thriving economy.

The city’s strong industrial base, coupled with its strategic location near Moscow, has contributed to Elektrostal’s prosperous economic status.

Houses the Elektrostal Drama Theater.

The Elektrostal Drama Theater is a cultural centerpiece, attracting theater enthusiasts from far and wide.

Popular destination for winter sports.

Elektrostal’s proximity to ski resorts and winter sport facilities makes it a favorite destination for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter activities.

Promotes environmental sustainability.

Elektrostal prioritizes environmental protection and sustainability, implementing initiatives to reduce pollution and preserve natural resources.

Home to renowned educational institutions.

Elektrostal is known for its prestigious schools and universities, offering a wide range of academic programs to students.

Committed to cultural preservation.

The city values its cultural heritage and takes active steps to preserve and promote traditional customs, crafts, and arts.

Hosts an annual International Film Festival.

The Elektrostal International Film Festival attracts filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts from around the world, showcasing a diverse range of films.

Encourages entrepreneurship and innovation.

Elektrostal supports aspiring entrepreneurs and fosters a culture of innovation, providing opportunities for startups and business development.

Offers a range of housing options.

Elektrostal provides diverse housing options, including apartments, houses, and residential complexes, catering to different lifestyles and budgets.

Home to notable sports teams.

Elektrostal is proud of its sports legacy, with several successful sports teams competing at regional and national levels.

Boasts a vibrant nightlife scene.

Residents and visitors can enjoy a lively nightlife in Elektrostal, with numerous bars, clubs, and entertainment venues.

Promotes cultural exchange and international relations.

Elektrostal actively engages in international partnerships, cultural exchanges, and diplomatic collaborations to foster global connections.

Surrounded by beautiful nature reserves.

Nearby nature reserves, such as the Barybino Forest and Luchinskoye Lake, offer opportunities for nature enthusiasts to explore and appreciate the region’s biodiversity.

Commemorates historical events.

The city pays tribute to significant historical events through memorials, monuments, and exhibitions, ensuring the preservation of collective memory.

Promotes sports and youth development.

Elektrostal invests in sports infrastructure and programs to encourage youth participation, health, and physical fitness.

Hosts annual cultural and artistic festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal celebrates its cultural diversity through festivals dedicated to music, dance, art, and theater.

Provides a picturesque landscape for photography enthusiasts.

The city’s scenic beauty, architectural landmarks, and natural surroundings make it a paradise for photographers.

Connects to Moscow via a direct train line.

The convenient train connection between Elektrostal and Moscow makes commuting between the two cities effortless.

A city with a bright future.

Elektrostal continues to grow and develop, aiming to become a model city in terms of infrastructure, sustainability, and quality of life for its residents.

In conclusion, Elektrostal is a fascinating city with a rich history and a vibrant present. From its origins as a center of steel production to its modern-day status as a hub for education and industry, Elektrostal has plenty to offer both residents and visitors. With its beautiful parks, cultural attractions, and proximity to Moscow, there is no shortage of things to see and do in this dynamic city. Whether you’re interested in exploring its historical landmarks, enjoying outdoor activities, or immersing yourself in the local culture, Elektrostal has something for everyone. So, next time you find yourself in the Moscow region, don’t miss the opportunity to discover the hidden gems of Elektrostal.

Q: What is the population of Elektrostal?

A: As of the latest data, the population of Elektrostal is approximately XXXX.

Q: How far is Elektrostal from Moscow?

A: Elektrostal is located approximately XX kilometers away from Moscow.

Q: Are there any famous landmarks in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to several notable landmarks, including XXXX and XXXX.

Q: What industries are prominent in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal is known for its steel production industry and is also a center for engineering and manufacturing.

Q: Are there any universities or educational institutions in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to XXXX University and several other educational institutions.

Q: What are some popular outdoor activities in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal offers several outdoor activities, such as hiking, cycling, and picnicking in its beautiful parks.

Q: Is Elektrostal well-connected in terms of transportation?

A: Yes, Elektrostal has good transportation links, including trains and buses, making it easily accessible from nearby cities.

Q: Are there any annual events or festivals in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal hosts various events and festivals throughout the year, including XXXX and XXXX.

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